Life Beyond Death
by Thatgirlinthepajamas
Summary: Loss is a terrible molder, it changes people for the better, and for the worse. Michiko Sarutobi is too little to really understand how she is affected. Kakashi is a little bit wiser. Yamato questions whether it is worse to never have had. Warning: This is my first post-warring era fic. Undecided pairing, (possibly Kakashi or Tenzo/Yamato). Includes one-sided OCxObitio
1. The Untitled Introduction

_Hello readers! This is my first post-warring era fic, and I'm attempting a different writing style from my usual (you will note if you are familiar with my work). The pairing is undecided, either Kakashi or Yamato, as the story progresses! Also there will be many mentions of Obito._

 _Reviews are much appreciated, and hoped for!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Konoha is a sight to behold after sundown. Lanterns bob here and there, and the village is more or less lit by several different shades of yellow. People loiter through the streets, the hustle and bustle of night-life is audible till the very gates. Near the outskirts of the village, the Uchiha compound is responsible for its own share of noise. It's a fitting cacophony to the disoriented and tipsy emotional lives of the shinobi that call Konohagukare _home_.

A recently created poll that's been carried out since the most recent shinobi war, reveals that the shinobi of Konoha claim to have the _most fulfilling_ lives out of all professionals in the village. These shinobi are also reportedly the _unhappiest_ of the village folk.

Who would have thought? Considering how much patriotism the village inspires, it's almost as if everyone who lives here _would be willing to die for it._ Then of course, there is the long list of people that have _already died_ for it. This list is always in the present. Always expanding, always growing.

 _-Flashback-_

"How many clans do you think live in this village?"

"How am I supposed to know?!" my cousin always responds to my questions with the same irritation.

"27, recorded clans at least." I grin at the random fact, proud of my knowledge. Maybe one day I'll be Hokage.

"Nobody cares, Michiko." He flicks my forehead, and I frown at him. "That all you got Asuma-nii?"

He flinches at my mockery, crunching the lollipop in his mouth and breaking it free of the stick.

"You've got some serious problems with oral fixation, niisan."

It's not unusual for me to make awkward insults.

"Shut up monkey."

Successfully angered, I frown. The nickname is commonly used to bully me at the Academy and when he uses it against me, it annoys me greatly.

Slouching in my spot on the foyer, I grumble and pick at the old wood beneath me.

"Asuma! Michiko! I'm home!" Biwako Sarutobi, my aunt, calls from somewhere inside the house. Asuma-nii shoots up and runs in, stepping on my hand in the process. I yelp.

* * *

 _2 years later._

 _Third Person p.o.v_

"Michiko is nearly 11 years old and if she has _anything_ in her genetic material from her mother, it's her stubborn attitude and resilience."

The conversation between Biwako and Hiruzen lulls into a comfortable silence as they sit down to have their tea after dinner, waiting for their niece to return home.

* * *

 _Michiko's p.o.v_

I wipe my hands one last time on the faded, orange towel by the sink before stepping out, yelling goodnight to the owner of the little ramen shop. My arms don't feel too exhausted, but I can't wait to get to my ho- my _uncle's_ house so I can go to bed and get some delicious, delectable sleep.

"Hey, Michiko-chan!" A slightly high-pitched, boyish voice calls out from somewhere to my right. I turn my head as I drop the curtain to the entrance, shadowing my face, my legs lit by the light streaming out from under the short strips.

"Obito-kun!" I wave, feeling a grin make its way onto my face "How come you're out so late?"

The boy stops in front of me, palms on his knees as he catches his breath, "I was helping someone walk home! What about you? I thought your aunt said you didn't need to come here anymore…"

In the dim lighting I can barely see his eyes through the goggles.

He gestures with his thumb at the little restaurant as he speaks and I shrug, "She says what she likes, I feel better _doing things."_

Obito laughs and the sound makes my stomach flip, I feel nervous and resist the urge to twiddle my fingers.

"You'll be a genin soon, with all the training you do…" He grins almost obnoxiously and I'm sure he's winking under those irritating goggles. This entices an angry reaction from me: my cheeks redden slightly, I can feel the heat rising to my face. I shove him.

"H..Hey! How do you know about that?!" I yell, trying to school my defensive voice into a whisper.

Obito laughs and does something I hate- he ruffles my hair.

"G…G…Go hide in a cave Obito-kun."

He makes me stutter whenever he comes too close, I can never decide whether it's nerves or discomfort. I'm not used to physical proximity. I turn on my heel, deciding to walk away from him, glaring out into the street as I march away.

"Ne, Michiko-chan!" Obito calls out teasingly, "You're going the wrong way!"

His gleeful voice makes me want to shake my fists at him.

I turn with a practiced, menacing glare, stomping my feet as I march back to him.

He backs away with his hands held in front of him and then begins to lightly sprint away, slowing a little as he turns to watch me over his shoulder.

He likes to think I wouldn't be able to keep up if he ran. I follow him easily.

 _But he was right all along, because I couldn't keep up with him in the end._

That sounds melodramatic. However, such thoughts suit the weather.

It's raining, the sky is grey and the clouds rage up above, thundering through the skies.

Obito is dead.

Father has been dead.

Mother is, well, gone.

I wear the customary black, tears streaking down my pudgy face. Tears and rain drops.

They can't have a proper burial ceremony because there is no body.

Crushed, someone mentions. I have nightmares that following night.

Biwako worries about me, too much. So after some days of crying, I begin withdrawing to myself. I stop going to Ichiraku's and I spend more time at the Academy. I show Biwako and Hiruzen that I am strong, that I can persevere. Which is why I train and I train until my muscles scream and I'm too sweaty to bear myself.

' _There will be so much in your life, so much. I cannot bear to witness it for reasons I can't explain to you, because you're only a child.'_ My mother's voice rings in my mind when I think about my collection of life-experiences so far.

She could have told me that ' _so much'_ meant lots of death. She had my hopes up for a long while after I met Obito.

I dreamt that he would be Hokage and that I would be one of his most reliable Jounin.

The dream haunts me now and it mocks me. It is a naïve internal narrative that I sometimes convince myself to live by. But Obito is very much dead, and there is nothing I can do to convince myself otherwise.

Now, a year later, I am standing at his grave and changing the flowers. Lilies always last about a week, thanks to the weather in Konoha, it's gentle on them. I can now no longer shake the sullen emotions that overcome me, and I find myself constantly questioning my actions. I wasn't happy when I became jounin, and I wasn't happy when Minato-sama asked me to join the Anbu.

I sit silently at his grave. I've already visited my fathers and told him the news.

But here. Here there is no one to address. There is no body beneath the earth, no Obito for me to speak to.

"Where did you go?" The question falls from my mouth more angrily than I would think to address him. When all I hear is silence and the cool breeze in my ears, I feel sullen again. I feel rejected. I want to leave, so I do.

A strong wind sweeps through, pushing away the dried leaves that have fallen into the graveyard.

The lilies dance cheerfully.

* * *

 _Third Person p.o.v_

Michiko Sarutobi is twelve years old. She has no parents, but she has a doting aunt and an uncle; Biwako and Hiruzen Sarutobi. Her relationship with them is not complicated, it is full of respect and understanding. She hates to be babied, so they refrain. She likes her solitude, so they comply. And when she feels sad enough to cry, Biwako is always there to comfort her.

Their son, Asuma, is more or less a brother to her. Teasing her and pushing her buttons when he wants to amuse himself, her or both.

Michiko has loved her family, whatever has been left of it.

They aren't pleased to hear about her recruitment into the Anbu, but they congratulate her. As a present, Hiruzen gives her a pair of short-katanas that can be infused with Chakra. Considering that her chakra nature is Wind, she deems this an excellent present and wields them with pride.

Now she stands nervously within the HQ, waiting for the man on the other side of the window to give her the standard-issue of uniform and flak-jacket. The mask he hands her reminds her of a monkey. It fits.

" _Hello, my name is Sarutobi Michiko. Please take care of me!"_ Nervously, she bows. The others within the changing room eye her with interest and greet her pleasantly. She moves to find her locker and is surprised to find that it is right next to that of an Uchiha.

She smiles slightly at him as she opens the locker, feeling jittery in the room full of strangers.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." The voice enters the room before the owner of it does and Michiko curiously turns to lock eyes with Hatake Kakashi.

"Michiko." He greets, closing the door shut as he slips in.

Of course, she realizes, he is aware of her joining Team Ro.

The rest of the team begin to chatter to one another, jokes and insults flying from one end to the other. Only the Uchiha is as quiet as Michiko, but she deduces that he is probably the silent type.

From this day on, Michiko's awkward venture into life beyond _just death_ begins.


	2. Kakashi is Michiko's problem

_We delve a little deeper into Kakashi's relationship with Michiko!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 _Day 1._

 _Team Ro._

The training session is more gruelling than anything Michiko has experienced. Her muscles burn with the distinct pain of feeling _overworked._

She is alarmed to find that there is a Mokuton user on the team. Prowling behind him on their way to the locker room, she stares at the back of his head with too much curiosity.

Not much older than her, the boy turns, his cat mask concealing his expression. But his wide eyes gaze out at her and both of them freeze.

"Hello, the name's Tenzo." He pushes the mask up with one hand, smiling at her. His manner of address is somewhat formal. Michiko hesitates and pushes up the monkey mask, grinning at him as she holds it up with her childlike hands, "Michiko." Tenzo reacts to the sight of her face comically, his cheeks flush and his wide eyes are _even_ wider, only for a fraction of a second does Michiko see this as he yanks his mask down.

"L...Lets go inside, Michiko-chan." He stutters slightly and prays the girl doesn't notice.

She doesn't think much of it, and follows, dropping her mask back down. She can't get it to stay up like the others can. "How many members are there? On this team?" She whispers just over Tenzo's shoulder. He turns his head slightly, as he ponders.

"There's six people on the squad when it's active, and we have 18 people on Team Ro in total, although not everyone is available at the same times."

Michiko hums, following Tenzo as he files into the locker room behind the Uchiha. Kakashi and some of the others are already inside, bits of their uniform lying around. Michiko steps over an arm-guard, ducking suddenly to avoid somebody's glove.

"Watch it!" She yelps comically, tripping over her tired feet. She lands face-first, into a pile of sweaty clothing, the stench seeping through her mask. Squawking, she pushes herself onto her knees and stares up at a blond man. He stares down at her silently as he scratches his bare chest lazily, and then proceeds to carefully step over her as he makes his way to the showers.

"Sorry, he's a bit eccentric." Itachi Uchiha leans down to offer her a hand, she takes it, hoisting herself up. She pulls off her mask to reveal that she is fuming, "A bit eccentric? That's an understatement." She pouts angrily as she follows behind him to their lockers, "I thought we weren't supposed to change in this room."

"We're not. Like I said, he's eccentric." Itachi gives Michiko an embarrassed smile, which fades away quickly as he busies himself with pulling off the flak jacket and arm-guards.

* * *

Michiko has already been on Team Ro for three months. She is surprised to find that time has passed so quickly, musing to herself as she pries off her sandals and lays back on the bench in the locker room.

"To think this mission would be _so tiring!_ " She whines, spreading her arms and letting them hang off the bench.

"You always say that, Michiko-chan. To think your stamina would have improved." The response is quick, and she identifies the voice as the only _Itachi Uchiha._ She growls, tossing her head to the side to glare at him. Her dark hair hangs off the bench and Itachi peers at her with amused eyes and the slightest hint of a smirk.

He notes then, how similar Michiko is to the Sandaime. They have the same dark hair, and the same eyes, including the dark lower lashes. _No wonder,_ he thinks, _that's why everyone called her monkey at the academy._

Itachi graduated out of the academy a year before her, and she joined the ANBU a year after he did.

 _She's a year older than me,_ he recalls. He has already read her file, curious about the somewhat rowdy girl. She is too young, for her gender, just as he is too young for his age.

The thought is sexist and he scoffs, instead turning his mind to Uchiha Izumi, who occupies his thoughts more and more as each day passes.

"Has anybody seen my forehead protector?" Tenzo calls from his locker, churning through his belongings. Kakashi responds him before the others, unbuckling the belt around his waist, "I haven't seen it since you took it off."

"So helpful, _taichou._ "

Everyone in the room pauses for a moment to stare at the mokuton user. He is rarely irritated. Even Michiko sits up to give him a perplexed look. "Let me help." She mumbles, peering over Tenzo's shoulder into the locker.

"It's right there blockhead!" She puts a hand on his shoulder and reaches up to yank the metal frame from the little shelf at the top. Kakashi observes silently as Tenzo turns a furious pink, silently prying the now dangling frame from the girls hand as she bounces away, pleased with herself.

As she returns to her locker, Kakashi sets his eyes on her form. He looks away before anyone can notice, outwardly turning his attention to his gear as he lazily pries it off. In his mind, he thinks about Obito. He knows that she was friends with him, and that she cried at his funeral.

He remembers the Sandaime telling Minato in private, that he worried about his niece.

Minato suggested leaving Michiko under the care of Kakashi, an idea that still perplexes the Hatake.

They are different as night and day.

* * *

On their way out of HQ, Michiko and Tenzo walk together, bickering about something. Kakashi is behind them, his hands in his pockets.

Konoha is lit by lanterns and the joyful attitude of the villagers, as everyone goes about their evenings. The sun is almost down, leaving the sky a bright red.

"Vermillion." States Tenzo. Michiko disagrees,

"No, it's…scarlet."

"Blood is scarlet."

"No it's not, blood is maroon."

"No, it's scarlet."

They continue to bicker, Kakashi following quietly behind them. Michiko shoves Tenzo, and then he laughs, signalling the end of their argument.

"I'm pretty sure it's orange." Kakashi drops the comment with a bored voice, secretly amused when the pair turn on him _together._

" _Blood most certainly is not orange, Kakashi-senpai."_

Tenzo's voice cracks slightly as he frowns at Kakashi, and Michiko laughs. It's an unusual sound.

"He meant the sky, baka."

"Oh…"

Kakashi scratches the back of his head. Michiko gives him an almost radiant grin. "I'll be going now, I have somewhere to be!"

She sprints away as they bid her goodbye. Soon after, Tenzo takes to his way home. Kakashi is left to wander.

He dislikes being out when so many people are around, but today he finds a certain pleasure in going so unnoticed. So mundane. He feels the tediousness of his singular existence as a comfort. He recounts the three months Michiko has spent with the team.

She is stubborn, never affected by the way Kakashi makes it a point to avoid her or speak to her as rarely as possible. Mostly, Tenzo ropes him into their conversations.

They make an efficient trio, working effectively most of the time, on the battlefield.

Kakashi doubts that Michiko has realized he avoids her. They have never been alone in a conversation, and Kakashi hopes he is subtle enough with his avoidance.

He feels restless around her. He has seen the pain in her eyes, remembering her younger self at Obitos funeral. He feels responsible for his death, and Michiko acts as a reminder.

Turning away from one of the main market streets, Kakashi gazes up at the sky, walking into a warm figure that lets out an 'oof'.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." He turns his gaze downwards and offers a hand, faltering when he recognizes the dark hair and attire.

Michiko takes his hand before he can withdraw it, turning away and hurrying to pick up the two bouquets. He is relieved that his palms are defended from her bare hands by his gloves, but his fingers feel unusually warm in her grip.

She has lilies in her other hand, he notes with reluctance.

' _She's going to the cemetery.'_

"No problem-" When she glances up at him after inspecting the damage to her flowers, she realizes the man before her is her _taichou._ Her eyes narrow considerably. "It would benefit you to keep an eye on where you're going next time."

The sudden animosity piques his interest, his visible eyebrow slowly rising. This is the first time the two of them have been alone together, after all. She glares at his single, visible eye, leaving him to wonder whether it's harder to glare at one eye than two.

She brushes past him, leaving him staring at the spot where she stood. One of her lilies has shed a petal and he stares at it in silence.

' _Maybe she has noticed that I avoid her.'_ Stuffing his hands somewhat aggressively into his pockets, he carries on.

* * *

To say Michiko is flustered is an understatement. She is furious. She can't control the hastened pace her legs take up whenever she is trying to get away from him.

Hatake Kakashi has slowly become the bane of her existence.

Not only is he a reminder of her beloved, _dead_ friend, he also _avoids_ Michiko like the plague. She scrunches up her nose at the thought of it, knowing that at least Itachi Uchiha has noticed his behaviour.

Nobody says anything about it, but she has seen the perplexed looks Tenzo has given him, and the knowing look in Itachi's eyes is plain to her.

She narrows her eyes, striding angrily into the cemetery where her father's grave is. She changes the flowers, tossing the older lilies into the bushes.

' _Good fertilizer.'_ She tells herself. She no longer stays to speak, striding quickly to leave so she can visit the Uchiha's cemetery.

She doesn't spend any time there either, changing the flowers with steady hands. She clenches the old, wilted ones in her hands as she stares down at the gravestone.

' _Uchiha Obito_ ,' She reads, ' _Beloved son, doting brother. You will be missed._ '

The dead flowers feel sticky in her hands.

She discards these in a public bin.

Out in the market, she weaves through the throng of people, heading to Ichiraku's ramen. Here, she pays for a bowl of ramen and takes shelter in the corner of the restaurant. Feeling considerably upset, she eats her ramen furiously and burns her tongue because it's too hot. When the silver-haired Hatake steps into the restaurant too, her mood fouls some more. She sinks, using the massive bowl to hide most of her face.

Kakashi already knows she is there and avoids her, not turning his head, although in his peripheral vision he sees her sink low in her seat.

' _Good. I don't like looking at you either, Michiko-chan_.'

She makes his single eye feel sore.

He makes her want to throw up her dinner.


	3. The Nakano Shrine

_The Nakano Shrine_

Michiko pauses on the staircase, the slit-covering she wears over her shorts lazily bounces with the wind. She frowns up at the temple.

A passing Uchiha gives the young girl an odd look, and she is reminded that she doesn't belong here. Not without Obito by her side, at least.

She ponders her chance with luck, and doubts she will get anything out of the Uchiha patron god.

' _To hell with luck.'_

Huffing, she turns on her heel and marches back down, asking herself why she decided to come here in the first place.

From his bedroom window, Shisui peers down at the girl, "Tachi', she's leaving." Itachi doesn't respond and Shisui groans, "Why'd you make me watch her if you have nothing to say?"

Itachi silently smiles, only looking up at his friend when the older boy blushes.

Weaving her way through the compound, it takes some self-control for Michiko to stop herself from finding her way to Obito's house.

' _Move on.'_ She groans in her mind, aware that Obito's feelings were directed very intensely towards someone else.

 _Rin._

Michiko goes anyway.

She pauses at the door, frozen in time.

In that very moment, the door slides open. Michiko is startled and hastily takes a few steps back. Her raddled gaze meets the gloomy, narrowed eyes of Obito Uchiha's grandmother. She can almost expect the woman to say something along the lines of ' _I was expecting you.'_

Instead the woman blinks, just as startled. "Michiko-chan?" She calls out in a frail, shaky voice. She is confused, her vision isn't as sharp as it used to be.

"H…Hai! Good morning, oba-chan!"

"Look at you! All grown up," Slowly her lips thin into what Michiko recalls was her version of a smile. The old woman takes another minute to stare at Michiko. "Come inside. I will make you tea."

Before Michiko can refuse, the woman shuffles slowly away, leaving the girl to watch her painfully-slow disappearing form as she moves into the house. She stops to look back at Michiko.

Pursing her lips and smoothing down her over-skirt, Michiko climbs up onto the porch and follows, sliding the door shut delicately behind her.

 _Elsewhere in Konoha..._

Kakashi trudges quietly to Anbu HQ, aware that Gai is following him from a distance. He ignores him, not in the mood for Gai's outbursts of youthfulness.

His mind diverts his attention.

' _Rin'_

He wants to muse about her, and how she might have looked as a teenager. Shaking his head, he dispels the train of thought, identifying it as unhealthy, just as Tenzo falls into step with him.

"Good morning, Kakashi-senpai." He greets him with a half-smile, Kakashi nods and resists the urge to remain silent.

"Good morning, Tenzo."

At HQ they prepare for the mission ahead of them, Kakashi finds himself dressed and equipped quicker than the rest of the team. Leaning against the empty wall between the two rows of lockers, he sweeps his single eye over the squad.

"Where is Michiko?"

Murmurs rise and die down.

Nobody has seen her.

"She's late. We need a sixth person on the squad." Kakashi repeats out-loud, more to himself than his team.

"She was at the Nakano shrine when I last saw her." Itachi pipes up, his quiet voice chimes pleasantly in the room. Nobody really expects him to speak. Kakashi's single visible eye twitches with considerable irritation.

He is usually not one to reprimand his squad for tardiness, but no one is ever consistently late. The odd day here and there perhaps. But it is rare.

Michiko is almost just on time, give or take a few minutes. Each time, it irritates Kakashi.

Right now, he wonders if Michiko is _trying_ to be like Obito.

 _20 minutes later_

"Thank you for the tea and the biscuits, Oba-chan." Michiko bows respectfully, smiling gently at the older woman, who laughs heartily in response.

"I was quiet surprised to see you here, you should visit me more often. Come again soon, okay?"

Mildly startled, Michiko nods, "Of course, I will." Bowing again, she excuses herself.

' _Taichou is going to eat me for dinner.'_ Groaning to herself, she feels many little anxious balloons in her chest, rubbing and squeaking against one another. She weaves her way quickly through the Uchiha compound, and just as she nears the gates, she breaks into a sprint.

Then she collides with someone who she swears wasn't there a moment ago.

Angered by the collision, she yells, "HEY!"

Michiko feels a pair of hands shove her to the side, she is thrown forward and rolls on the dusty ground, bouncing onto her feet in a defensive crouch, only to find the other victim of the accident sitting up and rubbing his head.

Shisui Uchiha doesn't realize she's glaring at him until he turns his head to ask her if she's okay. The glare throws him off for a moment when he realizes whose eyes he is looking at, "Ah…," The knot in his chest tightens evilly, making him forget his words, "Sorry! I didn't realize you were coming this way!"

Wordlessly, she stands up and takes a few steps towards the Uchiha. He eyes her with curiosity, his mind scrambling to identify her actions.

She peers down at him curiously, unable to place his very familiar features.

' _Stop overthinking. Stop overthinking. Stop overthinking.'_

She offers him a hand.

A laugh escapes him, his deep voice rumbling in his chest as he takes her hand and pushes himself onto his feet.

That changes things.

Now his head is a good few inches above her own so she peers up at him.

The little anxious balloons in her chest are now threatening to burst from the heat of her anger.

The scalding words that fall from her mouth wound him, _slightly_.

"Watch where you're going, _Uchiha._ " She spits his name.

He feigns a frown as his eyes light up with amusement and it causes Michiko's cheeks to flush with embarrassment, especially when she recognizes him.

With a flicker, he vanishes.

' _Shunshin no Shisui.'_

Blinking at the empty space, a deep frown sets on Michiko's face that is followed by a myriad of expressions: confusion, irritation and lastly, panic.

' _Show-off.'_

Seething, she is turning on her heel and running again, apprehensive of the consequences for her tardiness.

Being late is not an option for an ANBU. The team has left without her.

Almost throwing her equipment around, she dresses herself in the changing room alone. She collides with the door of her locker a few times and nearly snags her shirt on the metal frame.

It takes a lot of chakra for her to catch up with them.

When their mission is over, they go back to HQ quietly, nursing some injuries.

Michiko sits placidly as the medic heals her arm. Itachi walks over and watches. His dark eyes regard the wound, before fully turning his attention to the Sarutobi.

"Taichou is upset that you're late."

She nods, feeling complacent and guilty, "I know."

Their conversation lapses when Michiko hisses, squeezing her eyes shut.

Her arm guard shattered on impact with someone's chakra blade. Now she has a massive red gash, deep enough for her to use as a pocket. It takes some time for the skin to stitch itself together and the process is anything but painless.

Patiently, the medic tends to it, green chakra illuminating both shinobi's serious faces.

Today's mission has ended up being more dangerous than the briefing indicated. Michiko feels her tardiness is partly responsible for the damage incurred.

"Michiko." Her head snaps up to meet Kakashi's single eye.

He dismisses the medic, her gash not quiet done yet. The medic however, does not question the _taichou._

Michiko narrows her eyes in irritation. "He wasn't done healing my arm, _taichou._ "

"You were very late today." Obviously, Kakashi does not care about her injury.

"I know." Michiko responds silently, "I was with this old lady-"

The sentence strikes a chord in Kakashi's mind and he raises a hand to silence her. Despite his face being partially concealed, Michiko can tell he is furious.

"You try too hard, why don't you stop the act Michiko?"

She blanches at him, her tone too sharp for his liking, " _What_ are you _talking_ about?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

They glare at each other, rousing the attention of the rest of the team. Everyone watches them silently. Tenzo becomes nervous and fidgets with his kunai. The air is still and tense.

"Actually," She responds, slowly, articulating her words as she would speak to a child "I don't know what you're talking about _Taichou_."

Kakashi's eye dims slightly, and he rolls his shoulders. "Don't be late again. You're dismissed."

"But my arm-"

"You're _dismissed._ " His voice is raised by an octave.

Michiko flinches.

Everyone else flinches.

Kakashi strides back to his locker and yanks the door open, watching Michiko's reaction in the little mirror in the door. The blob of heat in his chest begins to dissipate as he calms down.

What he doesn't expect is the way she cradles her arm, nearly jumps onto her feet and hurries out of the locker room, with tears falling from her eyes.

Tears.

 _He has made her cry._


	4. A Prayer in the Storm

_You may have noticed I'm updating this story again!_ _I'm glad to be back. Please leave reviews!_

 _Note: This IS a OC x Kakashi story, but there will be Obito nostalgia, and a brief OC x Shisui to build on the OC x Kakashi relationship._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Michiko's arm is hot with pain. She is certain the cut will reopen if she continues to walk.

 _Cut? It's a damn fucking SLICE._

Some language for a 15-year-old.

She doesn't stop walking. The pain in her arm feels similar to a tooth being sliced out of her gums. She clenches her jaw.

The trek from Anbu HQ to the Uchiha compound is long, and winding. Rain has made the ground muddy, and the lanterns glitter dizzily in the rough wind.

 _There's a storm coming._

She walks faster, shoving past many of her fellow villagers. The clouds are so dark that the moon is hidden.

Michiko wipes her eyes with the back of a damp and cold hand. She feels as if her entire body is wet, as if she has been freshly rung out. She feels cold, her arms are bare.

As she roughly pushes and shoves her way through the throng of people, many turn their head to watch her go, annoyed and offended.

At this point, she has broken into a sweat and her breath is in puffs. Her lungs ache.

Her tears turn to little prickles of cold as they travel down her cheeks. Her hair grows damp. It's drizzling.

People are having dinner with their family, some with their friends and they begin to rush under the nearest roof. Some already have umbrellas on hand.

She walks briskly past a group preoccupied with loud banter. They are nearly wasted, and their loud laughter booms in her ears as she all but sprints past them.

Somewhere else in the village, Kakashi has sullenly made his way to the war memorial, suspecting that Michiko will be at Obito's grave.

He glares at the stone, blaming it for his behaviour, blaming it for Michiko's reaction. A light breeze blows some fallen leaves and they dance around his feet. Drops of rain lightly tickle his toes.

Regretfully, he sighs.

* * *

The Nakano Shrine glows in the night, a warm bright beacon in the centre of the compound, slightly blurred in the smattering of raindrops.

It's tiled walls smoulder with reflections, dotted, of the lanterns bobbing earnestly in the wind. There is a crisp scent in the air, fresh autumn mixed with the scent of the damp, dying earth.

 _It's always like autumn in here._

Michiko's observation is an attempt at distracting herself for a moment- but another sob wreaks through her. Her shoulders shake and she clamps a hand to her mouth, ducks her head and walks _even faster._

It's a wonder she doesn't collide with anyone.

She brings herself to the bottom of the Shrine's steps and looks up at the entrance. She assumed earlier that it would be shut to visitors, but people are still arriving and leaving.

She stands outside, looking up, feeling the cold air on her ears.

Time feels like it has ebbed here. Her hurried walk was the roar of a river, but this is the gentle ripple the wind makes on the pond. For a silent second, she feels the serenity and then, she feels it slip from her hands.

Shisui has been strolling through the drizzle, enjoying his night off.

He has left his fore-head protector at home, relishing the cool air on his face. As he passes the Nakano Shrine, he spots a familiar slim, dark figure at the bottom of the steps, looking up.

It is unusual for any other than Uchiha to wander around his clan's compound at night, unless they have friends or relatives.

Michiko Sarutobi is alone.

She stands very still, staring up at the building, wondering if it will lend her any comfort.

 _I wish you were still here, Obito._

Up above her, the shrine and the clouds, the stars wink watchfully, hidden away in the never-ending dark that surrounds the sky.

A thick vein of blood and rainwater runs down her arm and drips incessantly from her elbow. Shisui only spots it as he approaches her from behind.

' _Her arms are bare, she must be freezing.'_ Concern tints his thoughts. Michiko is still dressed in standard Anbu under-clothing: a fitted vest-top and dark pants. She is, oddly, barefoot.

Perplexed, he questions whether she has abandoned a mission, or if something terrible has happened.

She begins to slowly climbs up the steps, when she hears a voice behind her.

"You don't want to go into the Shrine bleeding."

' _Or barefoot,'_ He muses.

Unsure if she is being addressed, she glances over her shoulder.

Shisui Uchiha stands at the bottom of the stairs. He has his hands in his pockets as he looks up at her. The absence of smugness in his expression confuses Michiko. She has reservations about him from what she has heard, but presently, he seems out-of-character.

"I just mean you'll dirty the place." He says to her. Immediately, he regrets his words.

' _Smooth, Shisui. Real smooth.'_

It's bad enough that he has knocked her over. It's also bad enough that she has probably heard many unpleasant things about him.

Abruptly, a thought streaks across his mind faster than he catch it.

' _What's wrong with her face?_ '

Michiko's eyes are puffy are red.

The Sarutobi wants to feel irritated as she eyes him warily, but her mind feels exhausted.

 _Why is he here?_

More tears continue to well up in her eyes, they blur her vision and Shisui becomes a dark blob.

She blinks to make sure she can continue to glare at him. She feels that now she is crying for absolutely no reason.

Shisui is appalled by the sight of a glaring, weeping woman and his ears become hot (and visibly, pink).

"Hey," He calls gently as he climbs up one of the steps to stand a little closer, "Are you alright?"

There are four steps between them now and his voice is brazened with concern.

Pathetically, Michiko hiccups, "I..I…n…need t…to g...go." She glances down at her feet, shying away from the concern so evident on his face.

She too is appalled; appalled at the sound of her whiny, stuttering voice.

Just then, just then she realizes that she is wearing no sandals. Her shoulders tense up in embarrassment. Her feet are covered in mud and dirt. They look disgusting.

Shisui unintentionally follows her gaze and frowns at her bare toes, climbing up one step as he does so.

"What happened?" He takes another step up. Now there are two steps between them.

Michiko watches him questioningly as he squats on the stairs.

"Aren't you cold in this weather? Doesn't Michiko look after you?"

Befuddled, it dawns upon Michiko that he is speaking to her feet.

Amidst her sobbing, she chokes out a small laugh.

Successful in his attempt, he peeks up at her, "Are my jokes _so_ terrible that you're crying? Or are you really laughing?"

Michiko giggles again, bringing her palms to her mouth to forcibly stop herself.

To her ears, her laugh sounds horribly squawky, like a crow.

 _Oh my Kami, Michiko stop laughing, your feet look absolutely disgusting._

She sees the trail of blood and holds her arm out to stare at it. Her lips form into a small 'o'.

"I'm bleeding all over the place." She croaks, wiping her face with the back of her other hand.

Shisui stands and nods. He raises his eyebrows at her in an 'I-told-you-so' kind of expression.

Then he unties his Uchiha wrap from around his arm as Michiko haphazardly wipes the blood from her arm. Some of it is dry, and the cut stings.

"You can still go inside," He takes another step so that there's only one step between him and Michiko.

He is level with her face while standing on a lower step. It reminds Michiko that he is much taller than her.

"Give me your hand." His voice is gentle but commanding. She is reminded of how a father, or an older brother might be.

Wordlessly, she holds out her arm and he takes it in his large hand. His slim fingers rest just above the crook of her elbow.

"Now, let me see." He leans to the right, and then to the left. "How did you get hurt?"

He begins to fold the wrap gently around the cut, winding it around her forearm in a tight knot. His fingers brush against her skin, and they are very warm. Michiko realizes she is freezing.

As Shisui concentrates on his little task, Michiko finds his face an excellent distraction from her pain.

In the absence of his forehead protector, his dark hair falls messily above his eyes. His nose is broad, straight and sharp at the tip. Despite his hawk-like Uchiha features, the warmth of his eyes and the expressions portrayed by his malleable lips, give his character a softness that Michiko finds herself appreciating.

He glances at her, and when their eyes meet, both sets of cheeks flush deeply.

The clouds above are lighting up, flashing an eerie red. There is no thunder to break them out of their reverie.

Moments after their gazes have met, Michiko realises how thick and beautiful his eyelashes are.

"My arm-guard broke during the mission." She finally answers. Her voice cracks slightly, and she looks down at his hands that behold her arm.

"Well you need better arm-guards." He responds, finishing up the wrap. He is praying to every Uchiha patron that the flush he feels on his cheeks isn't observable.

"All done. Let me take you inside."

He releases her and climbs up the steps, past her. Two steps up, he pauses to look back at her to make sure she is behind him.

In the glow of the Shrine, Michiko looks a vision.

Someone has struck the bell inside, and its ring echoes into the air.

Her eyes are sad and shiny, her hair is free and wet, strands clinging to her skin. Shisui notes the little scar beneath her left eye, and the familiar lines of the Sarutobi that she shares with her uncle, Hiruzen.

Her lips are a supple pink, and her nose has a small ridge. She is fit, like any jounin, but the colour of her skin and the brown of her hair paint her exotic. She stands out in the compound.

He suddenly feels the need to override his thoughts.

"Hurry up, Michiko. Are you late for everything?"

He resumes climbing, and she is left staring after him, slightly startled that he knows who she is.

A wave of nostalgia wrecks her mind, and she nearly misses the next step in her hurry to race after him.

 _This time I can keep up._


	5. Kakashi Makes a Regretful Apology

The following morning, Kakashi everything but runs to HQ. The morning stings the exposed parts of his face. Much to his annoyance, everything feels damp.

The sky is grey. The clouds are grey. There's no sunlight.

He is hurrying because he wants to get out of this shit weather. His morning has been dismal. He wants to see his teammates- or at least, regrettably, he _wants_ to see Michiko.

He wants to see her as she usually is with the team- joking, laughing, whining about feeling tired and complaining about the uniform- so he can tell himself that she is not upset with him and that his actions the day prior were the _right_ thing to do.

Unluckily, he doesn't see Michiko in the changing rooms and she's not in the training field.

Her name isn't marked on the register for the next three days.

It's the last working day of this week and Kakashi feels even worse. It takes more effort for him to repress this guilt.

' _She's overreacting.'_ He bitterly convinces himself, checking his belt for kunai for the third time as he equips himself. His eyes feel swollen and heavy. He convinces himself that the day will be over before he knows it.

 _I'm so exhausted. Fuck._

His nerves don't go unnoticed, and Tenzo silently appraises his captain from a distance.

Sliding up beside him as they travel to the mission's location, he whispers, "Did you try apologizing?"

 _Apologizing?_

The word is unfamiliar to Kakashi. He ignores his teammate and carries on. Tenzo, knowing Kakashi a little better than the others, relents. He won't give up until his taichou has done the right thing.

The mission turns out to be unnecessarily violent. The young captain of Team Ro does not know how to express his feelings, he does not know how to vent.

He takes it out on the mission.

Hatake Kakashi has a difficult relationship with guilt. It has changed his life in the recent past and ruined his night's sleep. First, his father leaves a gaping black void in his life. Then, Obito and Rin do the same.

He is sharply aware that they are responsible for his complete inability to forge relationships.

Or so he believes.

* * *

Michiko sniffs the now stained wrap curiously.

 _It still smells like him._ And it smells like dried blood, but she ignores that.

"You'll have to wash that eventually."

Startled by the voice, Michiko hides the wrap behind her.

Biwako has been standing at her bedroom door for a minute and has already watched Michiko sniff the little embroidered cloth. A corner of it peaks out from behind her, the Uchiwa-fan emblazoned on it in a bold red and white cross-stitch.

"I…You- What?" Befuddled and embarrassed, Michiko blinks stupidly at her aunt.

"The blood will stain permanently if you don't wash it. It's already been three days, Michiko." She holds out a hand, gesturing for the girl to hand it over.

She clenches the wrap nervously and shyly admits, "I… I want to wash it myself."

' _My, my...'_ Thinks Biwako. She has some reservations about the Uchiha but decides not to voice any motherly advice until she knows _which_ Uchiha that wrap belongs to.

Hands on her waist, she turns her head to shout some instructions at Asuma, who is lounging lazily in his own bedroom. His bare-feet on his bed, are visible from where she stands.

"Bring your dirty laundry downstairs now. I am not washing anymore of your filthy mission outfits with our clothing."

She winks at Michiko, who laughingly asks, "Did something happen again?"

"Everything had flecks of dried, brown blood on it. It was _disgusting_! I don't understand, does this boy _bathe_ himself in blood?"

Biwako has retreated into the hall to go down the stairs, the admonishment floating up distantly. The sound of her feet on the wooden steps is comforting to both Michiko and Asuma, who has emerged from his bedroom. His hair is messy, and Michiko spies a maroon mark on his collarbone.

"Better hide that." She sings teasingly, following her aunt down the steps. He pulls his shirt-collar up, panicking that his mother will spot it.

"What's that in your hands?" Not willing to miss a chance to annoy his cousin in return, he follows close on her heels.

The wooden steps reverberate behind Michiko as Asuma drops his weight on every step. She feels like she is running away from him.

"It's a handkerchief, you uncivilised chimp." She responds smoothly, before leaping off the final steps and dodging her cousin as he tries to grab the little cloth from her hands.

Michiko nearly slides into the wall, quickly sprinting away from him as he, unluckily, is too heavy and the floor too slippery. He smacks into the wall with a dull thud.

The day is chilly, but the sunlight is warming, and as she hangs the wrap up outside to dry. Her mind wanders to the Nakano Shrine.

' _It's so pretty.' She whispers, cradling her now-wrapped and injured arm. Shisui is beside her. Their shoulders bump._

 _Absorbing some of her awe, Shisui stares up at the patron deity and the decorated interior. It is as ancient as the Uchiha clan._

" _I never thought about how this might look to a newcomer." He muses, glancing down at Michiko as she drops a coin into one of the offering-jars._

" _This isn't the first time I've been here." She responds, closing her eyes and putting her hands together in some sort of prayer._

 _Curious, Shisui tilts his head and his lips twitch themselves into a boyish smirk. He wants to ask who she has come here with before, but the silence between them is comfortable._

There is a loud knock on the other side of the house and Michiko is brought out of her memory.

"Ko!" Asuma calls, "Kakashi-san is here!" His voice fades away as his mother gives Michiko a perplexed look.

"He must be here to apologize my dear." Biwako gives her niece a motherly, scolding look. "Give him a chance, he is a young man with _too many_ repressed issues."

Annoyed but considerate, Michiko unwillingly obeys.

"Hatake." She greets uncertainly as she steps into the landing. The entrance door is wide open, as it usually is. There is an indoor-plant to the side and a rack for shoes. Kakashi stands outside the door.

He retains his stoic composure, but his hands aren't in his pockets. He looks twitchy.

"Michiko." He starts, "I came here to talk to you. Can you come outside?"

Without waiting for her to reply, he quickly turns on his heel and marches back from the doorway into the lawn.

In the bright light, his hair glimmers a fine silver. Michiko realizes how pale Kakashi is and wonders how often he ventures out into the sun when he's not on missions.

Following him into the grass, she observes that he does in fact look unhealthy; his eyes are lined by dark circles and they look puffy. The outline of his hidden face looks slimmer, his cheeks are sallow.

 _Is he ill?_

"Kakashi…" She calls after him as she pauses to pull her wooden-clogs onto her feet, uncertain of her own words, "Are you feeling alright?"

He regards her cautiously with his visible eye, and then rests on a decorative boulder. Michiko stands a few feet away.

"I'm fine."

Michiko hears the faint uncertainty in his voice. She pushes, "Have you been eating?"

"Yes, Michiko. I'm _not_ here about me."

"But you look _ill_." She half-pleads, annoyed at his response. Her eyebrows furrow in concern.

"I'm _fine._ I just came here to tell you that I was rude to you, and my behaviour was uncalled for."

Silence falls between them. Michiko expects him to continue. But he doesn't.

"I already know you were rude." She says pointedly.

Visibly uncomfortable, Kakashi turns his attention to a large silver-bush on his right.

"I mean to say…," He trails off, "I shouldn't have been so rude."

Michiko blinks at him a few times, disbelieving that her captain can be so _thick._ "Yes. I agree."

"Great. So now that we _agree_ , can you…" He becomes silent again, glancing at the house behind Michiko, at a window just above her head.

Kakashi is struggling with his words. He knows what to say, he knows he should say ' _Can you forgive my behaviour?'_ but the words snag in his throat.

Michiko observes that for the very first time, he has great difficulty glaring at her _and_ ignoring her.

Somewhere behind him, just on the street, concealed behind another one of Biwako's bushes, is a person. This person shakes the bush, as if he were trying to shake some sense into Kakashi.

The sound of the shaking leaves seems to put some spine into the Hatake, but he doesn't say what he _should_ say.

"Can you come back to work now?"

He should say something like ' _The team needs you.'_ Or ' _I shouldn't have upset you, I was wrong.'_ But Kakashi can't stomach the idea of surrendering to his guilt.

Tenzo huffs from his spot in the bushes, feeling furious. He thought _his_ social skills were bad. Kakashi was _terrible_.

The mokuton-user is aware that the guilt has been eating Kakashi up in Michiko's absence, he still can't grasp why it is so difficult for him to apologize to her.

"Tenzo-san." Michiko's voice calls, breaking him from his reverie, "Come out of the bushes now, please."

Flustered, Tenzo untangles himself and strides clumsily into the lawn.

Michiko looks different. Tenzo can't place his finger on it, so he greets her as usual. "Good to see you, Michiko-chan."

She smiles at him.

"I guess you two don't know…" She starts, clasping her hands in front of her pleasantly, "I took a week's leave. But I'll be back on the team after the weekend." She smiles.

Kakashi nods slowly, understanding her absence.

' _I wasn't informed.'_ He feels irritated again. If he had known, he would not come here. He would not have fussed over her absence. He suddenly feels sullen and regretful.

Tenzo is much more amiable, "That sounds nice. Do you have any plans?"

Michiko shrugs, but her cheeks become dusted with pink. Kakashi spots it easily.

"I might see some friends over the weekend, but not much else except rest."

Tenzo nods.

' _I wonder which friend she's blushing about.'_

Kakashi can tell this friend is most likely a boy. There is a visible change in Michiko's appearance- her hair has been cut into a bob, in a sleek gradient so that it is longer at the front.

He questions whether she looks more feminine to him now because he is seeing her on her own turf, where she doesn't have to be a _kunoichi._

' _It suits her.'_ It takes him a few seconds to formulate the word in his mind, ' _Pretty.'_

"Why don't you come in and have lunch boys?" Biwako's voice calls from the door-way. The young men exchange uncertain glances, but Michiko chimes in.

"Yes, I think you should eat with us."

She forces a smile at Kakashi that he can tell means something else. With her eyes she's telling him, ' _You better eat. I'm going to watch you eat. I'll shove food down your throat.'_

Kakashi is privy to her meaning, somehow. With his singular eye, he shoots back ' _Try me, monkey.'_

Tenzo doesn't spot the exchange of odd looks, he is on a different trail of thought and politely moves to go into the house.

' _Can't say no to the sandaime's wife.'_


	6. In the Locker Room

_Hello readers! This story is set a few months after Kakashi and Michiko's fallout. Shisui is a vital part of her storyline, but for purposes not yet disclosed, we will skip how she builds a relationship with him and focus on her and Kakashi!_

 _Reviews are always welcome._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

Something is amiss.

Michiko is crouching behind a tree, her monkey mask covered in dark stains- ash. Their team has been ambushed. Already outnumbered, Michiko has spent ten minutes disposing of three attackers. The last one is harder to catch- a big brute with too much chakra to waste.

So, she bides her time.

Behind her, a fire is burning.

' _Where are the others?'_

Despite being a sensory type, she detects _nothing_ except the enemy. She isn't very panicked, adrenaline is coursing cleanly through her veins and she is pleased to use her newly developed fighting style.

Having watched Shisui carefully, she has improved her s _hunshin_ , and she has improved her arsenal of Futon techniques.

The mission which was a simple extraction task has revealed itself to be far more troublesome for the rest of the team- Tenzo and Itachi aren't close enough for her to see or detect. She needs to regroup.

' _Time to go.'_

Sheathing her blades, she takes a fraction of a second to lunge forwards, rolling across the grass and seemingly vanishing as a swords cuts through the tree she was hiding behind.

The sound of wood ripping is grating and loud. The swordsman, a tall brunt with a head full of dark hair, cackles cruelly.

"You Konoha shinobi are nothing more than bug splats."

Irritated by his loud voice, Michiko reappears right before him, lithely kicking down on his wrist until she hears a snap. His sword-wielding arm is immobile. Before he can swipe her down with his free hand, she disappears. Having left the enemy disoriented, from a few feet behind him, she releases a jutsu.

"Futon: Senpuken!"

The wind that follows _should_ slice through him, but he throws himself out of the way, swapping his sword to his uninjured hand and attacks her again. Michiko unsheathes her blades in a flash, locking his heavy one between both of her own. Head to head, she is grateful for the mask protecting her face.

Before he can throw her away, a fireball erupts between them.

"How did you-!" Burning, he growls a shrill, pained scream. Somewhere, she senses Tenzo fighting his own battle. The enemy has underestimated her.

As he twitches, she pulls his head back by his hair and cleanly cuts his throat.

Dropping his bleeding body, she turns in Tenzo's direction and vanishes.

"There's four here." Itachi calls, as Tenzo and Michiko appear together.

"Eleven bodies in total." The _mokuton_ user calculates, hands on his hips as he pushes a body onto its back with his foot. The three of them peer over the face of the dead man, staring at his scratched fore-head protector.

"Kirigakure. Should have known." Michiko is frowning as she speaks, and then pulls out the scroll she has sealed the other bodies in. The body count irks her. "Let's get this guy and then track _taichou_ down."

For once, she sounds more concerned for Kakashi than annoyed. Itachi has noticed the change in their relationship since Michiko's short break. They still aren't _friends,_ but they are _comrades._

He has also noticed her improved, albeit more ruthless, fighting style. He wonders who she has been training with.

"Here." Hatake Kakashi calls. The three turn, surprised that they haven't sensed him.

"Kakashi-san!" Tenzo rushes to him, Michiko takes a moment to realise he is injured. His head is bleeding, and Obito's sharingan whirls at her. She tenses, distracted by Itachi walking past her.

Sealing the body, she joins them.

"I got something." Kakashi says. His eyes meet Michiko's and a second later, he has pulled his mask up to cover his eye. "We should go back to Konoha. Hokage-sama will want to see this."

They return as twilight settles over the village.

' _I only seem to see this place in the dark.'_ Michiko thinks, following her teammates over the roof tops, to HQ. Kakashi calls her to attention.

"Michiko, come with me to Hokage-sama. Tenzo, Itachi- good work today. Dismissed."

The other two disappear in a dash. Now Kakashi and Michiko are sprinting over the roof tops, masks pulled over their faces.

"What happened _taichou_?"

Kakashi wishes she wouldn't always call him that. She rarely addresses him by his real name.

"They had summoning scrolls. For the Nine-tails."

Alarmed, Michiko shot Kakashi a concerned look that remained hidden under the mask. Kakashi was perceptive to her change in mood, "I'm concerned too. Minato-sensei will handle this."

 _Minato-sensei._

' _Of course,'_ It dawns on Michiko, ' _He was their sensei…'_ She feels uncomfortable, but goes with Kakashi anyway, remaining silent as he explains their findings and hands over the scrolls.

"This is alarming." Minato has a grim expression. "You have brought the bodies?"

"Yes Hokage-sama." Michiko replies, holding out the two scrolls to another Anbu member.

"I want id's on these men." The hokage orders, tapping his fingers on the desk as he walks around it. Michiko volunteers some information she has kept to herself.

"One of them was one of the seven swordsmen of the Mist."

A tense silence falls in the room.

"How do you know this?"

Clearing her throat, Michiko finds herself confused on how to explain her findings. "The one who ordered the attack and followed Kakashi- _taichou._ He's well-known- his sword can eat chakra."

"And you saw him clearly?" Of course, Minato questions further. He forgets for a moment, that Michiko Sarutobi knows more about Kirigakure than the average citizen of Konoha.

"Hai. He looks like a shark, very easy to recognize."

Kakashi is peering at her, when he lets a question slip. "He didn't come after me, Michiko."

"He was there when Tenzo, Itachi and I were coming to you. Then he went in your direction, he must have decided to skip the fight…"

Uncertainly, Michiko shakes her head at him and at Minato. "Forgive me Hokage-sama, I am very sure that I saw him."

"We will look into it. Keep this mission to yourselves, no one should get wind of this."

"Hai." Affirming his orders in unison, Kakashi and Michiko are dismissed.

They take separate routes to Anbu HQ but run into each other again in the changing room.

"That was one hell of a mission." She says to him as she lets the door drop shut behind her.

"Yeah." He replies, pulling off his vest and gloves.

Looking away from him, Michiko undoes her sandals and drops her weapons on the bench. Sound is always muffled here, and neither of the two mind the noise.

"You've improved on your wind techniques." Kakashi states.

On opposite sides of the locker-room, with their backs to one another, Michiko smiles. "Yes, I am trying to improve."

"Hm. Good." Kakashi takes the hem of his shirt and pulls it over his head.

Michiko turns to look over her shoulder, and although she has seen this view plenty of times, there is always enough skin and bare upper-bodies in the room for his to not warrant as much attention.

His Anbu tattoo peaks boldly over the pale skin of his shoulder blade. His back is littered with little, nearly imperceptible cuts. The muscles of his back are defined, almost cruelly, sharply cut into his body.

Kakashi sees her staring at his back through the little mirror fitted into his locker door. He pushes it open a little more, so she can see him watching her. When their eyes meet, she's a little alarmed and is visibly embarrassed. She looks away, ruffling her short hair in the process. Mildly amused, Kakashi wonders if he can make feel flustered.

"Are you seeing someone?"

The question catches her off guard and her mouth parts a little.

"No, not really." She's lying, and instead of embarrassed, she sounds _annoyed._ Michiko wonders how many people have gossiped about her and her recent boyfriend.

In her opinion, it's much easier to change when the room is full. Being in Kakashi's presence alone feels a little _odd,_ and coupled with his curiosity, it feels _dubious._

Michiko is digging through her rucksack for her clothing, when Kakashi voices his thoughts in a laid-back and amused voice.

"You know you're a terrible liar, Sarutobi."

Snapping her head, she narrows her eyes and raises her eyebrows at her taichou, "Yes. I know."

His single eye blinks lazily at her, and she feels more annoyed. She reminds herself that they have made significant progress in putting up with one another and she decides to try and turn the joke around on him.

"Are _you_ seeing someone?"

Kakashi recognizes the scathing tease in her voice and raises his eyebrow at her reflection again.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He retorts calmly. Not expecting such a response, Michiko snorts an uncontrolled laugh and covers her face as she laughs, mumbling coherently so that he does hear her,

" _Kami_ you are just as annoying as Asuma-nii."

She misses the little shift of his lips beneath the mask because she is busy pulling out a towel and unwrapping the bandages around her palms. They're bruised from all the training she has been doing. Kakashi notices that her arms look fitter.

Distracted by the pale-yellow marks on her palms, she heads into one of the shower cabins with her towel tossed over her shoulder, on the ladies' side of the locker-room.

Sometime after she's undressed and under the warming water, she hears Kakashi on the other side, in the shower. Decidedly, she calls out to him.

"You should get that gash on your forehead patched up."

She assumes that he has heard her, and she continues to wash the soap from her body, scrubbing at blood stains until her skin is fresh and pink. Her muscles feel slightly sore.

"I nearly forgot about that." She hears his reply as he showers. She can hear the tap squeaking as he turns it.

He has showered quicker and now she can hear him walking around, wet feet on the tiles, and the rustle of cloth as he begins dressing himself.

Wondering if he walks around the locker-rooms naked, Michiko butterflies pool in her belly. Kakashi finishes dressing and kicks his locker shut, out of habit. Tossing his dirty towel onto the drying rack in the corner, he pulls the door open to go, and then considers yelling farewell to his teammate.

"I'm off, Michiko. I'll see you tomorrow."

The sound of Kakashi exiting leaves Michiko standing very still under the shower.

' _That was fast.'_

Taking her time to dry herself and change, Michiko hums gently and enjoys the freedom of an empty locker-room.

She dresses in a long, navy jumper and trousers, pulling on her sandals and towelling her hair with her free hand. Collecting her bag with her weapons deposited safely into it, she leaves.

The Anbu HQ is almost always empty, because people come and go at the strangest times. Sometimes you'll see someone you've never seen before, and sometimes you'll see the same face five times in a row during the week. She finds the unpredictable atmosphere comforting.

Outside, the streetlights have painted warm blobs of orange light on the roads. It's slightly damp now, but the sky is clear.

' _It must have rained earlier…'_

As she strolls leisurely through the cool night, she spots two men having a conversation just on the corner of the main road. She is heading to Ichiraku's, already tasting the hot, delicious ramen she'll be having in the next 20 minutes.

"Michiko!" A familiar voice calls, one of the men is waving at her. He moves into the light of the streetlamp.

"Shisui!" Surprised, pleased and keen, Michiko approaches him, just as he approaches her. Unexpectedly, he giver her a peck on her forehead and grins. She blushes intensely, but not without appreciating the gesture.

"What are you doing out here?" She asks softly, letting her hand rest on his arm. He takes her hand into his own, "I was on duty today. Was walking home just now and ran into Kakashi." He glances over his shoulder at the Hatake, who's still standing there, squinting with his one eye at the pair.

Michiko stiffens, "Ah…" She takes her hand from Shisui's, but her _taichou_ has already seen them. Shisui doesn't miss this, equating her discomfort to her dislike of Kakashi. Steering the conversation, Shisui is quick to distract her.

"I was just off to get dinner, do you want to come with me? Kakashi?" Shisui turns to repeat the question at the Hatake, who looks anything but eager.

"I would hate to interrupt your date. Go on, I'll head home." Kakashi's voice is already faint.

Michiko and Shisui catch sight of him just as he turns onto a dark street. "Goodnight." His voice calls from somewhere far.

"Goodnight, Kakashi!"

"Goodnight, taichou!"

In unison, they reply, but Kakashi has already disappeared out of earshot.

Shisui puts an arm around Michiko's shoulder as they walk together to Ichiraku's. They have been dating for three months now, and he is familiar with her ramen-cravings.

' _Michiko and Shisui… I wonder what you would have made of the pair.'_ Kakashi muses, looking down at the dark stone of the memorial.

' _I'm not surprised though, she seems to have a thing for the Uchiha.'_ If there is a bitterness in his thoughts, he doesn't realise it until much later, when he wonders how things would be had Obito still been alive.

' _Rin would be too.'_


	7. The Early Morning Shift

It's half past three in the morning. Kakashi and Michiko were dismissed five hours ago, and in the haziness of feverish sleep, Michiko half-wakes to the sound of someone persistently calling her name, very loudly, right into her ear. Groaning, she rolls over, away from the sound, to fall back asleep. Somewhere between waking and falling asleep, she realises that someone is _inside_ her bedroom, in her tiny apartment five blocks from Hokage-Rock.

An intruder.

Rolling stealthily from her bed, she drops to the floor on the opposite side from the voice. Now armed with her wakizashi that is always beneath her bed, she angles it so the light is shining straight onto a dog mask. In the dark, her eyes adjust and can quickly discern the familiar red marks on the mask and the white-grey of Kakashi's hair.

"Kakashi!" She hisses in surprise, whisper-yelling as she stands. "What the _hell_ are _you_ doing inside my _room_?"

Kakashi scratches the back of his head. _'What's the point of these damn masks?'_ He pushes his mask up, peering curiously at her with Obito's sharingan. Michiko is startled to see it, as she always is.

"Your window was wide open, and I needed to wake you up." He scrutinizes her and she fidgets under the intensity of his different eyes, "Why can't I sense your chakra?"

Michiko hesitates. Her arms are covered in bandages up till her shoulders, and subconsciously she hugs herself. "It's a long story taichou."

Kakashi notes the tired voice, regretfully informing her that she has to return to work _right now._

' _I'll ask her again later.'_ He makes note, moving to vanish from her room as she hurries around her room to get dressed.

Uncovering Kiri's presence within Konohagukare has put the Anbu on alert: Level 4.

 _What hell is level 4?_ Michiko thinks, as she sits on the bench in the locker room. She _is_ supposed to have read the manual, but as Kakashi gives them their briefing, she feels lost.

Surprisingly, all of team Ro is _not_ present; only Kakashi, Tenzo and Itachi have been called to duty besides her.

"Since we are on level 4, we've been split into pairs to make our job easier. Tenzo and Itachi, you two are together. Michiko, you're with me."

 _Aw hell no._ Michiko thinks.

"Hokage-sama's orders." Kakashi finishes, ignoring Michiko's slightly crest-fallen expression.

 _She probably wanted to be paired with Itachi,_ he muses. Rationally, Shisui's best friend would be her preferred option. An odd feeling falls over Kakashi as he thinks this- a petty kind of triumph over her dissatisfaction.

"Let me remind you: Level 4 Alerts mean external border vigilance and being on call 24/7. Other squads also have members engaged in this."

Nodding, Michiko recalls having discussed the level 4 alert in one the HR sessions at the Anbu.

"Because of the level, we are to remain extremely discreet and are permitted to use force at any point where we see it fit. People can enter through village gates, but nobody is permitted to leave unless they have a merchant's license. This does not apply to merchants or travelers from Kirigakure."

' _That doesn't sound good.'_ Nervous, she scratches the wood of the bench absentmindedly with her index finger. ' _I wonder how many times Konoha has used level 4 to oppress rebellions internally…'_

"Michiko, I'll brief you on our task on the way. Tenzo, you're in charge, you can brief Itachi on the way out."

' _Of course he's already briefed Tenzo.'_ Michiko pulls open her locker door a little harder than usual, to get her mask and dark grey flak jacket. She pulls it on, aware that Itachi is eyeing the bandages on her arm. She is grateful for the black polo neck she is wearing that conceals the rest of the bandaged mess that her body has become over the past week.

With her katana strapped across her back and her wakizashi on her hip, Michiko is all set to leave.

"I'm ready when you are, taichou." She calls over her shoulder as she shuts her locker. Only when she locks it does she realise Kakashi isn't in the room. Itachi fills the silence that follows her observation, "He's outside, said he had to do something."

' _Always disappearing. How annoying.'_ She blames her irritated mood on her lack of sleep. She makes to leave and then pauses to smile at her teammates, "Good luck guys."

With a joke-salute, she pulls her monkey-mask over her face and slips out of the room.

Sensing Kakashi's chakra already moving away from her at a rapid pace, Michiko sprints to the nearest window and sticks her head out to scout the horizon. With pinprick precision, she locates him and leaps from the window. With one hand still gripping the window sill and her feet against the wall, she hangs momentarily. Being a Sarutobi, she doesn't need to exert too much chakra to climb up or down things.

Hidden in the night, she lets go of the window-sill and launches herself across onto a tree, and then proceeds to climb and jump until she is nearly at Kakashi's heels.

Huffing, she slows down a little. Her arms are sore, but she writes off the feeling. ' _I needed a warm-up.'_

Unbeknownst to her, Kakashi has slowed down too so he can fall into step with her. Initially, he is alarmed when her chakra _pings_ into his sensory-vision almost right behind him. Then he recalls that she doesn't need to exert chakra to jump around, which has its merits, but also its own drawbacks- such as the now slowed-down pace.

"Hey." He greets, lazily eyeing her as she nods and raises a hand to greet him. He can hear her panting behind the mask.

"Maybe use your chakra a little more now?" He suggests, mildly amused by her heaving shoulders. His mind wanders to the bandages- Kakashi is more curious than concerned. He focuses on the sound of their sandals on the roof tops.

Wordlessly, Michiko has agreed with him.

"Sarutobi, what happened to your arms?"

She's still panting when she replies, albeit more gently, "I overworked my arms and they felt sore. My aunt gave me this balm and its smelly so I wrapped it. Didn't want to unwrap it in the locker room, it would take too long."

Kakashi knows that this is a lie, because before waking Michiko up, he has seen the discarded pile of torn up clothes lying on the floor beneath the open window.

' _Maybe Shisui and her are into some freaky, kinky stuff.'_ His cheeks flush at the thought, his mind facilitating the thought with imaginary evidence- scenes that Kakashi would _rather not_ visualize. He loudly clears his throat. Michiko gives him the side-eye behind her mask, wondering if he's bought her story.

Thankfully, he doesn't bring it up again and Michiko waits patiently for him to brief her, eyeing his silent form every so often.

"Eh…taichou, _you_ didn't _brief_ me." She reminds him, in a matter-of-fact kind of voice.

' _Sassy.'_ Kakashi thinks. He knows he hasn't briefed her yet, but not without reason. Feeling passive himself, he remains silent, acting as if he hasn't heard her at all.

 _Did he not hear me?_ Michiko chooses to follow his direction, feeling confused and slightly frustrated. She has no idea what their destination is, and only knows that they are currently headed south west.

Soon, the border of the village comes into view. Kakashi picks up his pace and vanishes over the wall, onto the other side. Alarmed, Michiko follows.

That's when she realizes he is tailing something, so quick on his heels, she catches up.

"Taichou!" She whisper-yells, having lost sight of him momentarily and hearing a soft ' _oof'_ as someone lands a punch on him. Dropping from her place in the trees, she lands on the shoulders of a large man. Squeezing her thighs around his neck, she violently smashes her fists onto his skull until he is disoriented. She leaps off his shoulders just in time as Kakashi knocks him out vis a vis a punch to his face.

"How barbaric." Kakashi comments, looking down at the mess of blood on the man's scalp, just above his forehead, where Michiko has nearly bashed his head in.

"It's a common thief." He continues, securing two chakra-suppressing handcuffs on his wrists. "Let's seal him."

Following orders, Michiko pulls out a body-scroll and seals the unconscious man into it.

"4'o clock."

Michiko pockets the scroll, ignoring the man's goods lying in a sack not too far from where they've knocked him out. Recognizing the chakra, Michiko informs her captain, "It's Shisui and a few other Uchiha, judging by the chakra."

Kakashi nods imperceptibly, "Give them the scroll and let them handle this nut. We will move on."

Shisui appears only moments after, peering curiously at the pair. He recognizes them, especially Michiko, but remains silent in respect of anonymity. He is alarmed to see the bandages on her arms.

' _She was fine when I left her after dinner…'_ Frowning he greets the two with as much detachment as he can muster.

"Sorry to interrupt your work." His red eyes travel from Michiko to Kakashi, when the Hatake speaks, addressing his teammate.

"Monkey, hand the scroll over to Uchiha-san." Michiko obeys, her finger-tips brushing against Shisui's palm as she drops the scroll into his hand.

Stepping back a few steps, she nods once at the Police patrol and vanishes with a sharp gust of wind. Kakashi follows suite.

Shisui stares at the space where they have been, pockets the scroll and gestures the others to follow as they head back to the village in a strange kind of silence.

' _I didn't know he was on patrol tonight.'_ Michiko is as alarmed to see him as he has been to see her, ' _Maybe they're on level 4 too.'_

Almost as if he heard her thoughts, Kakashi interrupts, "Police don't have level 4s."

He sounds more like he is thinking out loud than talking to her, so Michiko chooses not to respond. Some moments pass, and she begins to feel uncomfortable.

"Where are we going taichou?" She presses again, trying to keep the irritation from her voice.

"The Fire Temple." He replies after another minute of silence, "The monks may have intell on who has been visiting Konoha."

Finding out that they are traveling _all the way_ to talk to a bunch of monks that would mostly likely have some insignificant information, makes Michiko deflate.

"That's why you weren't telling me huh?" She grumbles, frustrated with their predicament.

"Why do you think that?" He sounds bored, and Michiko feels more annoyed.

"We got the boring task."

"Not exactly." Kakashi is keeping information and savoring the irritation he entices from her.

"Taichou, why won't you tell me everything I need to know?"

"Now, why would I be _that_ easy?" He responds quickly, his tone still the deep drawl of an uninterested individual.

That's when it dawns on Michiko that he is trying to get on her nerves.

' _What an asshole.'_

She would much rather be in bed, in her cosy flat, or returning home with Shisui so she could join _him_ in _his_ cosy room. Her mind wanders to her previous moments alone with him, warmth pooling in her belly. This is quickly followed by a sudden bitterness from having stayed away from him for some time in the recent past.

Reiterating these very thoughts, Shisui's mind has cascaded distractedly away from thoughts of his clan. ' _Maybe…she wants to break up with me.'_ He thinks sadly. Exhaling loudly, he kicks off his sandals as he enters his sleeping home. His siblings are in bed, his grandmother snoring away loudly in her own bedroom.

The sun is just about to begin climbing up the horizon, and the Fire Temple glimmers in the fading dark just before dawn.


	8. What Happened To Michiko

_Hello everyone- here is a small, slightly explanatory filler chapter!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 _Flashback_

"…"

Michiko is silent as an attacking nin looms over her, his hands are hanging limp and his eyes are bulging as he stares at her.

Prior to this, he was steadily knocking her down, blow after blow. Regrettably, Michiko thinks she is staring into the eyes of death when she hits the ground.

The sensation of being ground up, like spices in a bowl, overtakes her. She can smell wet earth, blood and grass. A painful _daton_ jutsu crushes the bone of her left arm.

Too weak to scream, she lets out a weak groan that is sick with pain. Haggardly she forms the hand-seals for _Futon: Beast Tearing Palm_ with her uninjured hand in a final effort to cut him before he can finish her.

However, he dodges the weak jutsu quickly. Now, shocked from the pain of her arm, Michiko is immobilized.

Blinking tears in what she thinks are her final moments, she waits for a death that never comes.

' _Drip…drip…drip…drip'_

The man groans, spluttering like a fish as he spews blood from his mouth.

Michiko thinks someone has saved her, "…Kakashi?" She calls weakly while her vision is bleary and unreliable from the blood-loss.

She breathes deeply, trying to focus on the sensation of oxygen in her lungs. Her chest hurts from a broken rib. A gently warmth fills her body and, just as she wonders if she has wet herself the pain begins to ebb away from her abdomen.

Its absence revitalises her. When her vision focuses again, she sees a sight so absurd that she her physical shock surmounts into a mental shock from disbelief.

Her un-crushed arm that she raised defensively as the man came down on her, has a growth, an abnormality. When she moves her arm, she sees the skin below her elbow is broken. Her own blood is dripping from it. Only after noticing it does she feel the intense burn that ripped flesh summons. In comparison, her limp hand feels numb.

Through this ruptured skin, is stark white, dry bone. For a second, she thinks she has broken her arm in two- _but_ she realises soon that this bone is separate from her arm, and yet, a part of her.

The extension tore free through her skin and impaled her attacker straight through the heart.

She can see its tip protruding behind him. Realizing his weight, her arm drops to the side and she stares at it as the bone retracts, back into her arm. A neat hole, about three inches wide, lets her peer at the scenery through her enemy's corpse.

"MICHIKO!"

She can't tell whose voice it is.

The rubble is removed from her arm, and someone is hoisting up her body into their lap.

"Michiko?"

'Shisui.' She thinks slowly, "D…Did you s…see that?"

Shisui doesn't hear her though- he is busy watching her arm heal itself. The absurdity of the bone, both ends reaching towards one another as if they were soft strands of thread or ink, leave him queasy and stunned.

As the bone threads its broken ends together and reform, the skin follows soon after until only slightly risen, thick lines remain.

Shisui knows she has no medic-training.

Losing consciousness, Michiko wakes a few hours later in the infirmary.

While she has been passed out, the cogs turn, determining several fates in one revolution:

Kakashi knows that Shisui should not have been out near the Anbu mission.

Danzo hears of Shisui's presence and becomes suspicious of his _true_ intentions.

Shisui approaches Hiruzen for a second time since he was assigned to keep tabs on Team Ro.

Hiruzen learns of his niece's _kekkei genkai,_ which has troubling implications; for her, their family and the village.


	9. The Fire Temple

_Hello beloved readers- this is a longer chapter, and I really struggled with writing some scenes in this- maybe the characters are tougher to write (?) I would really appreciate if you guys could leave me some critique to let me know if I'm pulling this off alright... (has been a tough couple of weeks ugh) Writing is such a reprieve for me though, so grateful to be able to do this! Anyway, I shall leave you to read this._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

The Fire Temple is quiet. Its serenity is unmatched, and yet, it has seen war and death through the times of the warring clans, and it stands as though untouched, apathetic to the pleas for peace.

The air barely stirs, and the monks have all sensed the incoming storm. It may rain for days. The stillness is mildly disturbing. Michiko nervously rests one hand on the hilt of her Wakizashi, glad for its presence.

Despite being skilled in _ninjutsu_ , she is heavenly skilled with _kenjutsu._ At this point in time, she is grateful that her father picked up on her talent with the blades when she was very young, before she started at the academy. Now, the skill makes her feel closer to her father, who also preferred _kenjutsu._

Kakashi notes her strange behaviour; she is fidgety and looks startled every time a monk appears in their periphery. Curious, he wonders if it has something to do with her bandages.

In truth, they are only here to keep the monks safe and to monitor who comes and goes into the temple. They have been assigned to make their presence _known-_ which means no disguises or _genjutsus._

Finding Michiko's nervousness unsettling, Kakashi decides to make conversation.

"You're really good with blades." He says, staring at the horizon, just beyond the elaborate entrance gate of the Fire Temple. A woman is approaching slowly, tugging at the hand of a child who keeps running away from her. His laughter is high-pitched and loud, it travels to their ears before they are even visible.

For once, Michiko feels flattered. "Thank you, _taichou._ " Her cheeks flush gently- she is not used to him being kind with his words.

"Have you considered combining your _kenjutsu_ with _ninjutsu_?"

She hums in affirmation to his second question, turning to partially face him and the temple. "I've been working on that."

"Your chakra-nature…it's wind, right?"

"Yes." Having never conversed this way, she feels awkward. Talking to her friends, or to Shisui, is easy. Talking to Kakashi feels like stepping on eggshells, although of late, the eggshells seem thicker and harder to crack (a good thing, Michiko thinks).

"Yours is lightning…right?"

Kakashi glances at her with his single eye, nodding wordlessly.

"How do you handle two swords?" His eye narrows with mirth, but Michiko doesn't see it until it's too late, "You're generally so…" he pauses mysteriously, "Clumsy."

Michiko turns a deathly glare towards him, "What did you say, Hatake?"

"I meant…you're good at monkeying around, but you're so…ungraceful."

He doesn't mean it. No, to the contrary, he finds Michiko _very_ graceful on the battlefield. He has only seen a few shinobi take to the field with _two_ blades, and Michiko is fun to watch. She fights as though she is dancing, parrying with her _katana_ and on close encounters, gutting with her _wakizashi-_ the smaller sword has the higher body-count.

Although he admires her fighting style, the sight of her _wakizashi_ always leaves him with a disturbing reminder of his father, something Michiko doesn't know about in too much detail.

Michiko is red in the face. He enjoys this attempted silent treatment, knowing he can push all the right buttons to trigger her.

"Your wakizashi is very beautiful." In all honesty, it is a pretty blade. Kakashi feels a little guilty for making her angry, but his amusement is doubled.

Kakashi assumes Michiko will remain quiet and is pleasantly startled at the warm and cautious tone of her voice as she discloses something about it.

"It was my dad's." There's a moment of silence where he turns to observe her, and her voice is much quieter this time. "It was in his hands when he died."

An irrelevant detail that Michiko thinks she shouldn't have told him- it builds the first part of a bridge between the two.

The silence following her sentences carries a heavier burden than just inheriting a family heirloom, and Kakashi nearly says ' _My dad died with a sword in his hands too.'_ But somehow, he knows their circumstances are very different, and he catches himself before he can say something he'll regret. However, in a moment of earnest, Kakashi loses his inhibitions.

"My dad died too." He struggles with what to say next, "He wasn't fighting any battles."

His bitter tone rouses Michiko to give her taichou a concerned look. In truth, Michiko knows about Hatake Sakumo, having attended his funeral with her father. The not-so-distant past feels like a dream; a time when she overheard her parents discussing his suicide one night, after dinner, when Michiko should have been in bed. When her parents were still around.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She hesitates, unsure if she should speak her next words, but they fall from her lips, trembling their way into the late afternoon air.

"He was fighting a different battle."

Of the 15 years Kakashi has been alive, and the few years after his father's death, Kakashi hasn't felt before what he feels from her words: Comfort.

The guilt of having a 'coward' for a father vanishes for a few moments. He thinks about Sakumo with the fragility of being human and he feels…easier.

The strange sensation vanishes just as quickly as it came. There is a snake coiled within his chest, that injects venom into his heart when it senses the warmth between the two.

"He lost his battle." Kakashi bites back.

"Sometimes, losing is just as good as winning, Kakashi." Michiko counters gently, eyeing the woman and child who have now arrived at the gate. The woman looks worried and apprehensive as she spots the Anbu.

"When did you get so wise, _saru_?"

Irked, Michiko visibly recoils, "EH?"

Steam fumes from her ears as she clenches her fists. Kakashi grins beneath his mask, all thoughts of Sakumo buried within. Now he thinks about how endearing the name sounds, ' _little monkey'_ it suits her. ' _Little violent monkey.'_

He shuts off his internal voice before it goes any further.

Michiko has walked away from him angrily. Her strides are long and quick, towards the woman who has now arrived at the gate. He is content to watch her go, admiring her form. Despite spending most of his working-time around her and the team, he is always curious to watch her, with the endless fascination of being 'frenemies'.

He admits, secretly, that he can't wait to see their relationship remains once they are older. Abruptly, he questions how long either of them will live and his mind jumps to Obito and Rin. The snake in his chest unfurls, making him feel suffocated.

Attempting to be mindful, he takes a deep breath, counting as he exhales and repeating himself until his heart is hammering a little less.

"Hello ma'am." Michiko greets politely. The woman has picked her child up and returns the greeting, "H…Hello."

She has the soft accent of the countryside, and Michiko has a hunch that she lives not too far from the temple and is possibly a farmer.

"Can I know your purpose for visiting, please?" Michiko hates sounding so stiff and stern, but it has to be done.

"My husband is here, staying with the monks." She glances worriedly at the temple behind Michiko. "I come at this time to see him daily…is everything okay?"

Placing her husband to most likely be the pleasant 40-year-old man that has been under the care of the monks after a traumatic incident, Michiko nods, "Everything is okay, ma'am. Security is high these days, make sure to reach your home before it gets dark. Go on in."

Michiko steps out of her way and the woman nods silently, glancing down at Michiko once before hurrying to the temple. The woman feels strange being questioned by a little girl who isn't even tall enough to look her in the eyes. She has no doubt the young Anbu is a dangerous kunoichi. Unsettled, she feels less-safe and holds her son tighter.

As Michiko walks back, she decides she doesn't want to stand at conversational distance to Kakashi and turns around to lurk close to the gates.

Sensing an unsettling change in the air, she climbs the wall up to the temple's roof to explore the view.

That's when she sees, in the distance, the smoke from Konoha and the large, looming red form of the nine-tails.

"KAKASHI!" She begins to yell, slipping on her way down. The Hatake is already scouting out the source of the heavy chakra. Michiko appears beside him in a flash.

"What do we do, _taichou_?"

Both are staring out at the beast. Both are frightened.

"I have to go. You get the monks and civilians to the shelter, you know where the entrance is?"

"Hai."

"Ok. Go. I'll meet you in Konoha."

Kakashi is about to disappear, when Michiko grabs his wrist blindly. His head whips around, the wind whistling in his ears as the ground begins to tremble beneath them.

"If I…I'll see you when this is all over."

Holding her gaze firmly for a few seconds, he nods. As Michiko turns away to hurry to the growing group of monks who have come outside, Kakashi vanishes.

"Genji-senpai!" Michiko calls to the closest monk, "We must take everyone to the shelter, please ask the others to get the protection-seal in place. I will handle the rest."

What follows is a rush to the hidden shelter that Michiko has to unseal. She is grateful that there aren't so many people here. As soon as the monks get the protective barrier up, she can depart for Konoha.

She can feel her heart slamming itself against her ribcage as the last monk assembles. With the hand-seals formed, they initiate a protective barrier that glows orange. With it up, the monks nod at her to leave. They can handle the rest until the chaos is over.

The ground has been reverberating with each step of the nine-tails. Konoha is already partially in ruins.

Michiko dashes through the trees, clambering up a trunk to leap from one branch to the other, when she is knocked down by something that is fast and white.

Summersaulting so that she can land on her feet, she crouches on the ground, trying to detect the attacker. She feels nothing and then abruptly, a chakra force that feels old and burdensome flares into her sensory-vision.

She is thrown off her feet and forms a quick hand-seal to send a cutting blast of wind. Following it closely, she unsheathes her _katana_. Her attacker doesn't see her move, and she severs his arm, whipping her _wakizashi_ in her other hand to stab him in the back.

A white human.

Michiko frowns beneath her mask, horrified as his severed arm regrows.

The man removes himself from her wakizashi, turning around to grin madly at her, yellow eyes set deep beneath his big forehead.

"Hello."

With a flash, he is gone, and Michiko is being rapidly attacked from every which side, until her mask is cracked and broken, and blood is dripping from a wound on her forehead. Rapidly blocking the punches isn't easy, and although she is able to cut him several times, he continues to heal.

Lunging away from him, blades sheathed, Michiko shakily mumbles something under her breath, biting the thumbs of both her hands and then pressing them to each shoulder.

' _Kami please help me. I hope I can control it.'_

The bandages tear away as she undoes the seal she has placed on herself, black lines appearing on her arms momentarily before they disappear.

" _Shi, shi shi. How fasssscinating."_

The voice sends quivers through her spine.

"Let's go, you bastard." She replies with a growl, and when he approaches her again, she matches his pace. Flipping so that she is balanced on her hands, she kicks him in the abdomen and then batters him with several kicks until she is back on her feet, _wakizashi_ in hand.

"You ffffffight like a real swordsman."

He tries to grab her wrist and she cuts his hand off with the blade, lightning quick. It's useless, because his hand grows back.

His hand grabs her throat, and she hasn't seen it coming. Her wakizashi is thrown from her hand as well.

"FUCK!" She chokes out, bringing her elbow down on his arm. It has no effect on him, and he grins at her.

" _Shi, shi, shi."_ He laughs. Michiko narrows her eyes dangerously, and before bringing her elbow down again, she feels the skin of her arm tear. With a scream, she brings it down forcefully, impaling his forearm with a sharpened bone. He howls in pain, pulling away from her, tearing his arm at the elbow to escape her.

" _How can it be? Who are you?"_ He hisses at her as his arm grows back slowly.

Michiko doesn't reply, dashing towards him and vanishing just before she is head-to-head with him. Sensing her approach from behind, he whips around only to be impaled by several pieces of bone that pierce him like thick needles.

With half his body shredded, a few pieces of bone embedded in his face, he stares at her with a frown that grows into a grin.

"A Kaguya in _this_ place? Did you betray Kirigakure?" He tilts his head, observing the confusion his words bring to her face.

"K…Kaguya?"

Only in this moment of faltering, the white man seizes his chance and lunges at her with speed she cannot possibly react to. His body seems to expand, as if he were free flowing matter, and encase her until she can't breathe. Michiko tries to tear him off her, only succeeding when she uses her _kekkei genkai-_ much like previous times, the words surface to her memory.

"Shikotsumyaku!"

He observes apprehensively as bone pierces through her skin and clothes, pushing through her flak jacket until she resembles a porcupine.

Recoiling, he releases her and pushes himself until he is very far from her. His body is punctured and although he is still healing, the process is much slower.

"Formidable." He comments. Michiko flinches as the bones return and her skin begins to heal itself. She pushes herself onto her feet, and her eyes are rimmed with dark, red lines that weren't there before.

"I am Guruguru. What is your name?" The white man asks.

Panting, Michiko begins to edge towards Konoha, mustering her strength to run. She has picked up her _wakizashi,_ and sheathes it slowly, never tearing her eyes off the white man that calls himself Guruguru.

' _If he follows me to Konoha, it'll be dangerous.'_ She is torn between going to her village to fight or staying here. Her mind wracks itself for a solution.

"Michiko." She answers finally, resting her palms on her knees. Her entire body aches, her shirt and jacket are torn in many places, her skin is littered in bright red, thick lines of skin. She watches him carefully, a plan formulating itself in her mind. He heals _much_ slower when pierced with bone.

"Kaguya Michiko." He purrs. Michiko frowns.

"No. _Sarutobi_ Michiko." And in a flash, she disappears, reappearing behind the man with her katana in hand. He hasn't fully healed, so she pierces him through his chest and forces his body to his knees and the sword into the ground. She releases the hilt with shaky palms. With great effort, she makes the hand seals for her next move.

"One Hundred Needles." She whispers, directing her palms towards him as bone-needles emerge and embed themselves deep into his body and threading themselves into the ground.

' _This better work.'_

"This…This is uncomfortable. Releasssse me!" He demands, struggling to pull bits of himself free. The more he succeeds, the more he inevitably shreds himself.

"Not today, Guruguru." Staggering back, Michiko turns towards Konoha and begins to limp towards it, the ground trembling a little less than when she left the temple. She wonders how much time has passed in this encounter, and her heart begins to hammer erratically. Hot tears begin to well in her eyes from desperation and fear.

She thinks of her uncle, her aunt. Of Asuma and Kurenai, and Team Ro. And Kakashi.

' _Please be alive. Please, please, please, please.'_

A combination of fear, courage, apprehension begin to stir, and once her body feels less sore, she begins to sprint. The muscles of her legs burn but she continues. Her lip stings as she hisses, "Come on Michiko. Pull through."

Her vision blurs. The panic of passing out sends a flare of adrenaline that gives her the boost she needs. Throwing her weight from one leg to the other, she musters some chakra to travel faster and soon enough, Konoha looms into view.

' _I need to reach Konoha, I need to find everyone. I need them. Please.'_

She is pleading, in her heart, to every entity that controls reality. Although the nine-tails is gone, the village has been reduced to ruins and the air is thick with dust, smoke and blood.

There is only chaos where the gate should be. It is partially destroyed, and the street along has been reduced to rubble.

Slowing to a walk, she clambers through, her breath hitching and faltering when she sees the bodies of shinobi littered through the broken concrete.

"No…" Tears stream down her face as she walks faster, eventually breaking into a run as she desperately locates her family, there isn't even a faint trace of anyone. The village is empty- or it is dead.

She tries to seek out Team Ro, but senses nothing. Fearing the worst, she turns towards the Uchiha compound, to pick up on Itachi's chakra, followed by several other Uchihas. Shisui's chakra isn't amongst them either.

' _Just the Uchiha? Did they…did they do this?'_ Hesitating again, Michiko feels terribly confused. She pauses at the entrance to the compound, peering into it fearfully. She takes a step back and turns to go to the Hokage's building. Her gaze meets that of a tall, dark-haired boy. His face is masked by a swirling white mask, and he is dressed in black.

' _Fuck.'_

"Who are you?" She shouts, _wakizashi_ in hand again. She regrets leaving her _katana_ behind. The man disappears slowly, as if he is being swallowed up by the air, and within milliseconds, he is standing right before her.

Through the white mask, a single eye swirls red and black. Her hands go limp by her side, the blade slips from her hands. Her mouth parts and her lids feel heavy. She is trapped.

It is as if she has blinked, and when she opens her eyes, she is in a world that is entirely red. She is laying on the ground and the masked man is driving a blade through her. The pain that courses through her entices a scream, but it doesn't end there- the swords never end. One after the other, he impales her until she looks like a needle-cushion. Her body, filled with swords, is reduced to nothing but disparate bits of flesh.

It continues.


	10. Uchiha Obito

_So...just to share a little bit with you guys, I left work early because I wanted to come home and write this chapter. Sometimes I act on compulsion and make very bad choices BUT this is (maybe) not one of them. I had fun writing Obito's character- but I am always waiting for some feedback from you guys! Hope this isn't a terribly written chapter (sometimes i re-read previous ones and think oh my gosh how could i write such terrible shit). Anyway, thank you for reading this- also I have a music recommendation for Obito (because music helps me set the mood and write): Row by izzamuzzic_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

A cacophony of sounds, familiar and alien, float their way to Michiko's unconscious mind; the flutter and swoosh of material, hot skin and cold finger tips, the sound of someone breathing gently, pattering rain and low rumbling thunder. The sounds are pleasant and nostalgic. For a little while, Michiko dreams of falling asleep on the porch as the rain pours down, the sound of her father carrying her to her room, her mother rustling the blanket as she drapes it over her sleeping-form.

"You brought her?" "Is she okay?"

" **Is she breathing?** "

The questions slither in like a running commentary to her dreams, disturbing the memories, distorting the visions of her home. For a moment, they sound like her parents and then, the voices morph into the raspy high-pitch of a stranger.

"Was she your friend?"

Silence follows, and Michiko is left undisturbed for several hours. Strange dreams materialize behind her eyelids and fade out of her memory like clouds of dust settling until the next mad dash through her subconscious.

' _I don't know.'_

Obito tries hard to think about his times with her. In earnest, he has always focused on Rin, on Kakashi, and any memory of Michiko is vague and blurred. He can hardly recall her face as a child, and what little he does remember comes to him in waves.

' _She was always following me around.'_ He recalls, shaking his head, ' _She was always helping people too.'_

The harder he tries, the less he can remember. The only highlight he can recall is her father's funeral. He hears about it and sees Michiko in the Academy a few days later, looking quiet and sad. He remembers offering her his lunch and cracking jokes about competing to be Hokage.

' _She didn't want to be Hokage.'_

Zetsus conversation rouses him back to the present.

"She won't wake up for another few hours."

"I don't see why you brought her here." "Maybe she can be our friend."

"Maybe you like her."

The last statement earns some irritation, the young boy who has carried Michiko here glares at Guruguru.

" **Maybe he likes her because she kicked your ass so easily.** " Black Zetsu says.

This elicits a laugh from Obito, a short, husky rumble that halts as soon as it starts. He sits cross-legged across from the girl, intently watching her. His mask has been removed, revealing rough scars on the right half of his face.

' _There are more important things to address.'_ Obito reminds himself, going over the intel he has collected via Zetsu in the short amount of time that they have escaped from Konoha.

' _Her mother must have been from Kirigakure if she has the Shikotsumyaku.'_

Being educated by Madara and the Zetsus about the world of the shinobi, Obito has a vast resource of knowledge- He knows that the Shikotsumyaku belongs to the Kaguya Clan of Kirigakure, which is now extinct.

Revising the information, to be sure he asks Guruguru again, "She has the Shikotsumyaku?"

The swirl-faced man is watching the two from a safe distance- nobody likes to be torn into pieces, even if they _can_ heal their body. He twitches uncomfortably as he registers the question.

"Come on, Tobi." White Zetsu calls to Guruguru, "Come here. She won't bite."

" **Not while she's unconscious, at least.** " Black Zetsu adds, as a matter-of-fact.

"I asked you a _question._ " Obito reminds, his soft boyish voice replaced by a deeper one. He feels annoyed at the divergence.

All the Zetsus fall silent and exchange glances, until Guruguru, also referred to as Tobi, finally replies.

"Yessssssss. She has the bones. I also heard her address the ability by its name." He sounds jittery.

Obito's eyes shift to him and back to Michiko- silence descends inside their homely cave.

Absentmindedly twiddling a strand of her short hair around his index finger, Obito probes some more.

"How well can she use it?"

For the last few years, he has ignored her because she has been insignificant to his plans. He has almost forgotten that she exists.

Standing amidst the ruins of Konoha, he remembers her only after he is about to return home, and that too by chance as she sprints into the periphery of his vision, outside the Uchiha Compound.

Obito impulsively decides he wants to take her after he places _who_ she is.

Michiko is taller than he remembers her, and her long hair is gone, replaced by a chin length bob. Her eyes are sharper and there is a small scar running from above the bridge of her nose, down the inner-corner of her left eye to just above her cheekbone.

He doesn't remember the scar from when he was still 'alive'.

In truth, he reminds himself that there is little he remembers about Michiko. In their sudden encounter, the one thing that initially strikes him is her resemblance to Rin. When he sees her outside the Uchiha Compound, his heart stops for a second and he thinks it is his young teammate, reincarnated and alive.

The difference is first established in their eyes- where Rin's were gentle and doe-like, Michiko's gaze is predatory and manic- her eyes are big, but narrowed, and she looks mildly like a hawk.

It hurts him when their eyes meet because he realizes she is _not_ Rin.

It makes him _angry._

"She can manipulate it better than I have seen in a long time- without needing their dances." Tobi elaborates, breaking Obito from his trail of thought.

"Dances?" Obito turns his mismatched eyes to him.

"That's what the Kaguya refer to as their techniques- she was…free-forming extra bone most of the time. A waste of chakra and also very painful- but an efficient way to fight. Look at her scars, they haven't healed."

" **Fascinating.** " Black Zetsu wonders if she would make a bony snack.

Bruised, battered and drained of energy, Michiko continues to sleep. Six hours pass, and the Zetsus are gone from the cave.

Obito bides his time, undressing and washing his hair, redressing and checking on Michiko. She is still asleep.

"I wonder about you." He speaks to himself as he sets about putting a little pot on a make-shift fire. "Will you recognize me?" He's speaking loud enough for an eavesdropper to think he's part of a conversation.

Michiko is struggling to wake up. The Mangekyo Sharingan has taken a lot out of her and each time she wakes, something pulls her back to sleep.

Eventually, she finds the energy and the courage to sit up. A mistake- her head begins to throb as if someone is squeezing her skull. She groans.

"Drink this." Someone whispers. She feels hot steam against her chin and with her closed eyes, obeys. Her head lolls forward and a firm, gloved hand cups her chin and presses the edge of a cup to her lips.

"Be careful." It warns, "It is very hot."

She sips it and burns her tongue. The sensation wakes her enough to be able to open her eyes.

"…" She stares dumbly at the orange mask in front of her, a single black eye staring back through it. A moment of stillness passes, and Obito realizes she is stiff from fear. He laughs, and that makes her narrow her eyes.

"It's not poisoned." He says defensively.

Michiko remains quiet. There is a blanket laid over her and her weapons are missing. Her chakra is exhausted.

She is _weak._

 _Who is this creep?_ She blinks slowly, waiting for him to speak again. He is squatting in front of her, the warm cup in his hands. The only thing moving between them are the tendrils of steam.

"Where am I?" Her voice is steely and cold.

"In my home." He replies smoothly, extending the cup to her mouth again. She flinches away from his hands, looking revulsed. There is a brief moment in which both absorb her reaction, she hasn't meant to pull away from him so quickly.

Pulling his cup-bearing hand back, he throws it away from them. It whistles through the air and breaks loudly once it collides with rock, the sound echoing in the silence.

"Pity. That would have cured your headache." His voice is calm, and he is still squatting in front of her.

 _What the fuck._

Michiko is petrified.

"Sarutobi Michiko." He begins, sitting down on his bum and crossing his legs. She stares at him, words lost. "That _is_ your name. Do you not remember it?"

The gentle, joking tone of his voice makes her wary. She simply nods.

"Your uncle is the Sandaime Hokage, yes?"

She nods again.

"Your father was his younger brother, yes?"

She nods again, this time tucking a strand of greasy hair behind her ear.

"Your mother was from Kirigakure, yes?"

Michiko knows this, yes. She also knows that this information is a secret- or at least, it is _meant_ to be. She shakes her head. "No, she was from Konoha."

"She lived in Konoha- with you and your father. She wasn't from there."

"How do you know this?" Feeling braver, Michiko sounds sharper. She is angry. _Who does this cave-rat think he is, spitting facts at me about my OWN family?_ Her blood begins to boil. She clenches her fists.

"There is much you don't know about Konoha." Obito's boyish voice has become deeper, more intimidating. "I can tell you. If you want."

Hesitating for a few seconds, Michiko is quick to make up lost time "What do you know?"

 _If I can, I should gather as much intelligence on this creep as possible…_ In her Anbu state-of-mind, intel and protecting the Hidden Leaf are at the forefront of her mind.

"So much." He says vaguely, "You can know it only if you really _want_ to know."

"I…" Feeling stupid, she snaps at him, "Of course I want to know. What do you know about my mother?"

She knows that her mother abandoned her after her father died. She is a sore subject for Michiko.

"I know that if you come to Kirigakure, you will find answers."

Eyeing him silently, the wheels in her mind begin to turn.

 _What is this guy's connection to Kiri? He's an Uchiha. Is he traitor?_

"You…" Uncertainly, Michiko slowly crawls out of the blanket until she has pushed herself off the little tatami-mat. "You're…an Uchiha from Kirigakure?"

Obito watches her with interest. It is too easy to manipulate her. He feels a little bored.

"No. Where I am from isn't a secret, but where you are from is."

Boldly, Michiko pushes, "Did you betray Konoha?"

"I belong to a land before Konoha existed. There was nothing for me to betray."

Attempting to distract him, Michiko tries to stand and manages it for a few moments- but she is dizzy so she staggers as her head spins. She reaches a hand out towards him as she stumbles forward.

 _What am I doing? He's going to kill me. I am going to die. Death by Sharingan._

"You _are_ a traitor." She says, trying to ignore her dizziness until suddenly her vision seems to completely flip.

"Hey…I can't sta...n…d." She collapses.

In nanoseconds, Obito has moved to take hold of her falling form. ' _The drug took it's sweet time.'_ He thinks, rather annoyed that he had to listen to her nonsense.

The second time Michiko wakes up, she is groggy, but less physically-exhausted. She begins to thrash around wildly. She is lying in a bed,in _her own_ bed.

"What the fuck?" She cusses loudly, clambering out onto the floor to crawl to the light-switch. It is really dark.

The light switch isn't there.

Confused, she lets out a frustrated growl and when the light does flick on, the masked man is standing by the bed and his shadow falls over the sheets and over the floor dramatically.

"Are you okay?" He asks, concerned.

Alarmed, Michiko lunges at him like a feral animal with lightning quick reflexes. She hits the wall behind him with a crack. Her shoulder is dislocated.

Obito hasn't flinched. He turns partially to stare at her through his mask. Michiko glares up at him from her place on the floor and she can't tell if he's angry or if he's laughing at her.

"Don't do that again." He says firmly, losing the boyish touch to his voice.

Michiko isn't very obedient when she isn't tired, he notes.

She kicks at his ankles and he steps over her feet easily, amused as she finds her balance and begins to attack him. Her clothes are still torn, and she is filthy from not having showered for- Obito counts in his head the days he has kept her- three days.

With a hidden grin, he creates a water jutsu and releases it. Expecting her to dodge, he pre-empts her movements and throws her _into_ the jutsu.

The water is ice cold. The thermal shock leaves Michiko shivering on the hard floor. Shakily finding her feet, she throws herself at him again. Her fore-arms are equipped with sharpened bone.

' _Has her shoulder healed itself? Of course, it has.'_

Obito is interested, he lets her attack him, her punches and jabs going through him as he pretends to evade.

Michiko lets out a frustrated growl, "How are you doing that?!"

In this moment of distraction, his hand shoots out and grabs her throat, pressing her to the wall. He holds her there, squeezing her throat.

Michiko feels pathetic and weak. Without forming any hand seals, she intitiates a more complicated version of her _kekkei genkai-_ her ribs churn, sending shreds of pain through her lungs.

Unknowingy, Obito steps closer to her, sandwiching her between himself and the wall, the bones of her ribs invert and pierce his chest.

His grip loosens and his body shivers. His masked face peers down at the little bits of visible bone that have attached him to Michiko. He can feel the bones expanding inside, piercing his lungs. His single eye turns its gaze to the girl. Her pupils have contracted and a bead of sweat runs down her forehead.

"It's painful for you too, isn't it?" With a flicker, he has removed himself from her and she drops onto her feet, her ankles clicking in pain. The bones from her chest are covered in red blood; hers and his.

Huffing from the effort of ignoring the sharp pain, she grinds her teeth together. The bones retract slowly.

"You're not as talented as I hoped you'd be." He tells her, in a disappointed tone.

" _Fuck you."_ She spits venomously, vanishing in a blink. Without moving, Obito reaches out a hand and grabs her out of the air, dispelling her attempt at _shunshin_ -ing her way out of this room.

He throws her through the wall.

Fishing her out easily from under the rubble, he throws her back into the now ruined room. Rolling to a halt on the floor, she slowly rolls herself onto her front and shakily pushes herself up into a crouch. When she eventually staggers onto her feet with her fists in front of her, Obito disappears.

He moves faster than her eyes can follow, punching her square in the face, several times.

To give her some credit, she manages to dodge a few of his attacks and nips him in the face with her knuckles a few times.

Whipping back his arm, he elbows her in the face.

When she falls over, he rolls her onto her back with his foot, tilting his head as he observes that she is unconscious.

Her Anbu Uniform, or what is left of it, clings wetly to her body. Dust and powdered-debris cakes parts of her in a chalky grey. Her face is covered in blood.

To his surprise, her eyes flicker back open and she hazily mumbles something under her breath. He can't quite hear her.

A tiny, sharp whistle of wind slices up through the air, aimed at his throat. Luckily, he moves to evade it, instead slicing half of his orange mask. His other eye, a permanent _rinnegan_ glares down at her, wide and enraged.

Michiko frowns.

"Who _are_ you?" She finally asks, thinking he may as well tell her before he kills her.

His anger is dispelled.

Sighing heavily, Obito crouches to peer closely at her with his partially uncovered face, attempting to lie to her.

Michiko tries to place his face before he can say anything. He looks so familiar to her, that she almost doesn't believe it.

"O…Obito?"

Feigning confusion, Obito frowns "Who?"

"You. You're…no it can't be…" She trails off, trying to sit up desperately, "You look just like him, his face-" Her jaw hurts.

An arm is supporting her back and helps her sit up. She fists her hands in the sleeves of his shirt, her fingers digging into the material, and into his skin. The sensation sends a flush of blood through his body, and he suddenly feels aroused.

"You look like Obito." She whispers earnestly, studying the visible half of his face.

 _His eye,_ she blinks rapidly, _what is that?_

She has read about the _rinnegan_ somewhere, but she can't remember what it looks like- _maybe this is it?_

 _Maybe he knows Obito- maybe they were related._ Her brain is frozen in thought, half curious, half panicked at the sudden intimacy and lack of space between them- just a moment ago he has beaten her senseless.

 _He is an Uchiha too._ Distractedly, her mind takes her back to the boy before her. She knows from his dark hair and the sharingan in his other eye.

"My name is Uchiha Madara." He says, holding her face between his gloved palms, studying her reaction very carefully. "If your friend was an Uchiha, it is likely he was a descendant of mine."

" _Madara?_ " Michiko's eyebrows shoot up, "Like, one of the founders of Konoha _Madara_?"

Obito nods, his mouth set in a serious line.

"You're lying." She lets go of his shirt and her hands move to the rest of his mask.

Obito releases her face and takes hold of her wrists, squeezing them and admonishing her "Stop it."

' _What an annoying girl.'_

"You're lying." She accuses, "I know who you are." She stubbornly tries to pull her hands away but fails. His grip only tightens, sending pain through her already aching arms.

Irritated by her behaviour, Obito snaps- but his tone is calm and collected.

"Who was he to you that you so desperately wish I was him?"

"He was _my friend._ " She says defensively. Tears slowly collect in her eyes and throw themselves down her dust stained cheeks.

"Why _was_ he your friend? What happened to him?" Obito is curious to hear what she has to say.

"…He died protecting his teammates."

"And his death _mattered_ to you?"

"I've lost a lot of people I love." She mumbled weakly, her resolve melting as she attempts to wipe her eyes with her hands. He doesn't let her, his iron grip keeping her very still.

"I'm sorry about that. The Shinobi world is…" He trails off, tilting his head thoughtfully, "It is broken."

Michiko agrees.

* * *

On the far side of the land, Konoha is in a post-battle scurry. Shinobi have been carried into hospitals, alongside injured civilians. A call has gone out for more medics because the present ones are overloaded.

Shisui is twisting the little embroidered wrap he gave Michiko months ago between his hands. It was tied to the hilt of her _Wakizashi_ , and it is stained with blood. Kakashi has thoughtfully given the blade to him, ever since they discovered that she is missing in action.

In the Hokage's office, he has been discussing her disappearance with Hatake Kakashi, Danzo and reinstated Hokage, Sautobi Hiruzen.

"She has been missing for _three days._ " Shisui says again, at the brink of his patience. He can't stress enough that her recovery is imminent, for him at least. He worries that in rebuilding Konoha, Michiko will be forgotten as a casualty of war.

Hiruzen has tried to maintain order- with Minato's death and a new Jichuuriki, there is much to be addressed.

At this point he cannot prepare himself for the worst. ' _What if she's been killed?'_

Kakashi is also on edge, although he hides it better. In his stoic silence, he has observed the nervous shake of Shisui's voice from time to time. He tries very hard not to fidget, his discomfort elevated in the presence of Danzo.

' _Goddammit Michiko. Where did you go?'_

The second Kakashi heard that she was missing, he deployed his Ninken. They could only track her scent between the Uchiha Compound and the Fire Temple, informing Kakashi that there was the scent of at least three other people; two in the forest between the Temple and the Village and one alien scent by the Compound.

"My Ninken couldn't find anything to help the search- it's like she vanished into thin air." He shifts in place, crosses his arms and peers at Sandaime. In all honesty, Kakashi is disappointed and _frustrated._

His last memory is of her gripping his wrist.

' _I'll see you when this is all over.'_ He is holding her to that vow.

Hiruzen clears his throat. The loss of his wife has made him realise his age, and he is still in mourning- he does not wish to entertain the thought of losing a child, after all Michiko is a daughter to him.

"She would never leave her _wakizashi._ That alone tells us she has been taken. My question…is why." His voice shakes slightly, "She wasn't…she wasn't _that_ unhappy here. She had her family, she had...Shisui." Hiruzen gives the Uchiha a calculating look that leaves Danzo amused, "She had Team Ro. I doubt she would abandon the village."

Shisui stiffens. His relationship with Hiruzen is complex but favourable regarding all matters- save for Michiko.

"We should not jump to conclusions about her abandoning the Leaf, that is true- But Hiruzen, consider her purpose. Her allegiance was questionable from the day she was born."

Danzo does not regret his words, but Hiruzen slams his fist against the ancient desk, "Her loyalty is _unquestionable._ She has been raised by _me_ as a kunoichi of the _Leaf_. Her blood does not pre-empt her loyalties- unless you are questioning _my_ allegiance to Konoha too."

Danzo becomes quiet, turning his gaze to the window without betraying any emotion.

"I think," Shisui throws a cautious glance towards Kakashi, attempting to dispel the tension "It may have something to do with her Shikotsumyaku."

Not for a second does Shisui doubt Michiko's loyalty.

He watches the young Anbu captain curiously. Michiko had kept her _kekkei genkai_ an absolute secret since she had discovered it, training with her ability in solitude or with her uncle.

Danzo looks just as surprised as the Hatake and barks a laugh.

"She has it? But the clan is supposed to be extinct!" Concerned, he points his open palms towards Hiruzen and shakes his head, "Nevertheless, I can see how that could be a risk for her, especially with the news on Orochimaru. It would be a shame if he, of all people, got his hands on such an ability."

Narrowing his eyes, Hiruzen assesses Danzo with apprehension. Since the birth of Root and his recovery of Tenzo from the organization, Hiruzen has little faith in his comrade.

He turns to Shisui, speaking calmly and with conviction. "Anyone would be a fool to touch my niece."

The men fall silent, until Kakashi speaks.

"I never knew she had any _kekkei genkai."_ He is careful with his words and has very limited knowledge of this Shikotsumyaku. He makes note to ask Shisui later, in private.

"We spent most of our time on missions together- I don't see how anyone else could know she had it."

Facilitating him, Shisui nods. "She kept her abilities sealed all the time- save for when she trained with Saindaime-sama. Anyone else who saw it, had to be spying."

"And considering I am the _only_ person she practiced with," Says Hiruzen, his voice rumbling in the stiff silence of the office, "It had to be a spy that went _undetected_."

Danzo nods. He has some intel on spies from Kirigakure that could conceal themselves in the surrounding environment, become part of the trees etc. Unfortunately, he decides that he will not be contributing this information.

He wants to use it for himself.

When he half-turns to assess the Hatake, he catches Shisui giving him a strange look. The Uchiha does not look away.

"We will discuss this after the funerals today." Hiruzen sounds tired, Shisui and Kakashi stand to leave, waiting for further orders.

"You are dismissed for now."


	11. Discovering a Piece of Home

_Enjoy!_

* * *

"Kakashi."

Shisui waits for the young boy to respond. Kakashi turns partially, looking slightly unalarmed. "Shisui-san."

The Uchiha falls into step with him and they walk in rhythm. The streets of Konoha are nothing short of deserted and a thick gloom hangs in the air.

"Did you talk to him?" Shisui asks finally, squinting through the dark at the partially destroyed shops of the village's centre.

"I did." Kakashi glances away from Shisui, watching someone emerge from the dark, "Here he is. Tenzo." He waves him over and as the newly arrived Tenzo joins the two, Shisui peers at him curiously from behind Kakashi.

"Oh, hello." He smiles politely and extends a hand, "I'm Shisui."

Tenzo stares at the hand, remembers what handshakes are and carefully takes his hand in a single firm shake. The Uchiha smiles as he lets go.

"Taichou briefed me a bit about what you've been thinking." Tenzo trails off, eyeing Kakashi who is quiet. "I think we can do some investigating, but…" He scratches the back of his head and Kakashi easily guesses what he is about to say.

"I just think it would be stupid for us to do all of this without informing Sandaime-sama, or _at least_ Danzo-sama."

Kakashi exhales as he considers the options. Shisui too, glances down disappointedly at his sandaled-feet as he considers Tenzo's suggestion.

Neither Kakashi nor Shisui trust Danzo.

' _Telling them means possibly foiling our own plan.'_ Shisui frowns, uncertain. Kakashi volunteers to fill in the silence, "We should do some more thinking before we do _anything._ "

He trails off, switching between Shisui and Tenzo as he is between the two. "Let's mull over the plan a little longer. I have a feeling that Michiko is _okay_ , wherever she is. We'll find her."

Shisui's grit comes in handy, he nods quietly. Tenzo however, picks up on Kakashi's tone, he does sound like he is trying to convince himself.

' _Maybe we should leave Tenzo out of it.'_ Shisui considers. Kakashi is mirroring his thoughts.

"Oh…" Shisui is startled, his eyes begin to gleam. A bit like a puppy, Kakashi's head shoots up and he glances around, trying to locate the source of Shisui's joy.

"Ichiraku-san is open!" The Uchiha pumps a fist in the air, "Time for dinner." He sing-songs, pulling Kakashi and Tenzo along with him. In earnest, he is trying his best not to think about Michiko. His heart threatens to burst out of his chest each time he does. He can only hope and pray that wherever she is, she is alive.

* * *

Everything is damp. The air feels like it is made of a million, tiny, floating drops of water.

Obito has brought Michiko to the very heart of her mother's land.

There are ruins of homes, some collapsed into themselves, some covered in overgrown creepers, while others look as though someone swatted off the tops with their palms while dismissing some bugs. The buildings are hollow, even the trees are sallow. The earth is dark and damp, a strange purple-brown that smells rotten and sweet.

It's nauseating.

Obito has let Michiko wander around.

Curiously, fearfully, she progresses further away from him as she explores. Rendered mute by the scene around her, she absorbs the stone and ruin around her. Like the blind, she runs her hands along everything she can touch; the branches, the dust, the broken window panes and doorways.

"What is this place?" She asks, her voice echoing through the empty house as she prods her face through the doorway. Her question is punctuated by a soft, scraping sound as she drags her left foot to go inside.

"This is the Kaguya compound." Obito replies easily, scoping out some of the ruins as he follows her in, "Or at least, what's left of it."

Michiko doesn't reply, but he can hear her limping around. Regrettably, he has hurt her some more- not because he _wants_ to, but because he _has_ to stop her from running away. He estimates that with the little chakra she has, she won't be able to do _much_.

Smartly, she has decided to not let her bones heal themselves so quickly. She must reserve her chakra until she sees an opening to escape.

"Your mother was the youngest of her family." He starts, "After her brothers died, she was the remaining matriarch, but by then she had left this place far behind her. When she _did_ come back here, the entire clan eventually…died."

He runs a single, long finger along the wall, drawing a line in the dust. Michiko is standing at the base of a staircase, watching him.

 _She didn't leave me on purpose._ The thought hits her like the first time her mother raised a hand. It's strong and heavy, and it makes tears brim her eyes.

"How did they…die?"

She glances up the steps as a bird flutters somewhere above them, flustered by the arrival of human voices. There is a big hole in the ceiling, and a thick smattering of dark clouds hides the sky behind them.

She wipes her eyes quickly.

"They fought to the death, quiet literally." Obito's voice is dancing with amusement. "The entire clan, in one night. Your mother died somewhere here too." He bends down to pick up a ruined photo frame, dusting the glass to squint at the blotted picture.

Michiko's heart feels like it weighs 20 kilos. She moves to glance out the broken window, catching her reflection in the glass.

Her face is speckled with dark blots, her left eye is so bruised that her scar is almost invisible.

She feels sick.

"She died _here?_ "

"Mhm." Obito is now watching her with his full attention, hands clasped behind his back. He looks eerie in the shadows of the dark afternoon.

"The Kaguya Clan threatened to overthrow Kirigakure's government. They were given the opportunity to surrender but chose to fight to the death."

"That's…That's so _stupid_." Michiko blurts, glancing around the house with horror, "What sort of people were they?"

She has blurry memories of her mother disciplining her harshly; the violence of her childhood is thrown into a new light.

"They were…" Obito pretends to ponder, having revised his script a million times, "Excessively arrogant in their abilities and fighting prowess. They _were_ powerful. But Kiri was stronger."

Intentionally, Obito leaves out some finer details: a small group of the Kaguya chose to take on Kirigakure and as punishment, the women, children and remaining men were all killed. Others of the clan were hunted down from every nook and corner and their severed heads were displayed around the compound for days after the clan was killed.

Sobered from the horror, Michiko limps to what looks like a back door, and toes it open with her foot to discover that it is a destroyed room. The flooring is cracked, and large patches of wild grass are littered across it. The walls have been torn through, and the wall opposite is gone. Michiko stares at the green and grey horizon and the glimmer of the ocean far, far away.

"And…you know that my mother took part in this?"

Obito shrugged, "I don't know if she was complicit in their plans, but she was called back by her clan. And she died in the battle."

 _Huh,_ Michiko thinks, _it was only a few years ago wasn't it?_

She remembers her mother leaving before her 10th birthday. The memory is cold, like most of her memories. Cold like a corpse. Michiko shudders.

"An entire clan gone just like that…" The thought is horrifying. She questions why her uncle never once mentioned this to her.

"Let's go see the other buildings." Obito says sharply. His black cloak billows as he strides out. Michiko follows after him, ignoring the sharp pain in her leg as she drags it.

Obito winds his way through some narrow passages between the homes, until they reach an open courtyard, Michiko lagging behind him.

Across from them are the ruins of a temple, and in between, there is the stump of a wide, ancient tree. The wood is grey, nearly white.

"The Kaguya clan is another descendant of Otsotsuki Kaguya, the first shinobi." Obito explains. Michiko stands a little behind him, in awe of the ruined temple and his voice reverberates through the sparse distance between them.

The dilapidated state of the shrine makes her shudder and she is reminded of the soothing air of the Nakana Shrine.

Unlike the Uchiha's temple, this place has an air of rancour, it carries the chaos of a tragedy.

"Who are her other descendants?" She asks with a shaky breath.

"Hmm. The Hyuuga, Uchiha and Senju are some. Do you want to go inside?"

He gestures at the shrine, and Michiko glances from him to the building and back, looking weary.

"Not alone."

"Of course." Obito strides away and she follows. He stops at the remains of the steps where the concrete is chipped and stained. Michiko recalls that concrete is porous, and as she looks around, she realizes the entire courtyard is patched with brown stains.

Most likely, it is blood.

Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she hobbles up the uneven staircase with Obito close behind her and abruptly stops between two jade pillars. She runs a hand along the cool stone. It is also cracked in places, but it throbs with an energy much like chakra.

Behind her, Obito halts abruptly. He wants to keep his distance from her as he watches her with piqued interest. This visit's ulterior motive is on the forefront of his mind.

A trade-off.

"Wow…" Michiko murmurs, "It's like it's alive…Can you _feel_ that?"

Obito realises she is speaking to him when she glances over at him.

"Yes, this place is full of very ancient chakra."

Michiko notes that he doesn't sound very excited. Curious, she probes further into the temple. Nearly missing the flooring in all the intricate carvings of the temple, she only glances down when an orange glow lights up beneath her.

Looking down, she is alarmed to find a large red circle glowing like a blood-moon. The light lasts a few moments and dies down.

"So, you _are_ a Kaguya." Obito muses over her shoulder, Michiko nearly flinches and looks at him from over her shoulder. He is still at the entrance and in her trepidation, she has nearly forgotten he is with her.

"This stone only responds to clan members." He tilts his head, "When the clan was still alive, it was constantly glowing."

Michiko glances down at the stone again and then up at the carved tiles of the roof. They are a yellowed-white, and it takes her a significant amount of time to piece together why their colour is such.

"Is this… _bone_?" She asks incredulously, running a finger along one of the more elaborate carvings of a tree in the wall.

"Yes." He replies, entering at last and walking around the red circle. Michiko pretends not to notice.

"How do you know all this?" She glances at him, watching him for a reaction. He simply shrugs.

She proceeds to limp around the shrine, noting that the creepers have grown into the temple too. Thick cord-like branches wrapped tightly around pillars and through gaps in the carvings.

The air is cold and damp, but most of the temple feels dry.

At the end, it is too dark for her to see. Obito conveniently lights a forgotten candle in one of the conches in the wall. The bone around the candle is so finely polished, it glitters.

"Whoa…" Michiko peers and squints until her eyes adjust to the dim light. Before her is a huge statue, much larger than a person, of a goddess.

The statue is quiet obviously a woman, sitting cross legged on a massive, ornate stool.

Michiko gapes at it as Obito watches from the side.

The statue is pale and veined; the stone itself having little cracks running through it. Smooth, blank eyes frozen in time stare back at her. Adorning her head is an elaborate crown and in one hand she holds a long staff that sits on the ground. Michiko runs her hand along it curiously. Then she turns her attention to the statue's tails.

"Is this woman like…one of the tailed beasts?" She asks, counting the tails.

 _10._

There is a small in the centre of her forehead and Michiko absentmindedly reaches up and sticks her finger in it and immediately retracts her hand as she feels how smooth it is.

 _Weird._ She thinks, but she is in awe of the being and the temple.

Backing up, she turns to look for her companion, to find him staring up through one of the skylights. Noticing that he doesn't seem to be paying attention, she runs a hand along the staff again, wondering if it is real or part of the statue.

It seems loose.

"Hey Michiko."

She whips away from the staff, eyes widening in alarm. The movement stretches her skin and her eyebrow stings where a cut is still healing.

"Look," Obito is perched by a dip in the floor beneath the skylight he has been gazing out of, "There's a stone here."

Michiko limps over to him and peers over his head.

The pond is full of clear water that bobs and ripples of its own accord. It is clear and the tiles glimmer the same pale white of the temple.

"What is that?" Michiko is peering intently at a little red stone in the centre.

"It's the stone that belongs on the statue's forehead. There's a legend that if you take out this stone, you can unlock an ancient ability…" He trails off and Michiko gives him a suspicious look.

"I ain't fishing that out for you."

Not expecting such a response, Obito laughs boyishly and scratches his mask. "I wasn't asking you to, look." He points beyond the pond at a pile of bones, femurs and skulls all heaped.

"It's probably just legend and nonsense, anyway." He stands up abruptly, and nearly smacks Michiko with his head. She backs away, stumbling.

"You sound disappointed." She muses, eyeing him. Her leg hurts a little less and a part of her suspects it is because her body is healing because of the shrine.

"Maybe I am." He retorts, turning his head to stare at her with his single eye. She is reminded of Kakashi, twisting her mouth as she chews the inside of her lip.

"There was _one_ survivor from your clan, but I don't know where he went, or what happened to him."

He is walking away from her and his voice is faint. Michiko remains rooted in place, spots dancing behind her eyes.

 _Maybe I moved too quickly._ She feels like blood is rushing to her head, and for a second her vision fades.

The sounds of screams echo faintly through the shrine, and she whips her head to stare at the entrance.

 _What was that?_

She waits to hear something again, and when silence remains, she dismisses it as a figment of her overactive imagination.

Outside, her captor has walked past the tree stump, and he turns to look back at her and waves. From afar, all Obito can see is the outline of her form. She waves back, a slender long arm waving gently at him.

Michiko turns to look around the temple a final time, meaning to follow the Uchiha. She notices that it is suddenly misty. She frowns, glancing around.

 _What the hell? Maybe it's the weather._ Sharply, she turns on her heel and faces the entrance.

She sees the ghostly forms of men and women charging out of the shrine.

One of them seems to pause to regard her, bright green eyes piercing into her tired ones, from behind the veil of death. Two bright-red dots decorate the ghostly man's forehead and his eyes are rimmed with the same colour, stark against his pale skin. His short-cropped hair is dark and there are many scars on his face.

With one blink, the people vanish, and the man dissipates like an apparition.

Frozen in place, fear and pain grip her spine.

She sees visions of the courtyards, of people fighting to the death, running blindly, baring their weapons and their bones. Blood is spilling into the air, there is a haze of red mist.

In the centre, before the stump of the tree, a woman pulls a blade from an enemy's neck. Her hair is long and silvery, tied up in a ponytail on top of her head. She is wearing a white haori that is embroidered with red and is finely flecked with browning scarlet. Part of the loose haori has slipped off her shoulder, revealing her muscled arms and the dark green tank-top underneath.

She is holding two _katanas_ , and the hilts of both swords are made of bone. Her palms and wrists are wrapped in bandages. The woman appears so bold and challenging, that Michiko doesn't recognize her until-

Until she _turns_.

Her sharp green eyes cut right through Michiko. The red dots on her forehead whirl into one big crest. It's like she is looking down at her.

Michiko is a child again.

Around her, people are impaling themselves and others on bone, but the woman moves as if to walk towards her, her dark lips parted in shock.

"Ma…ma…?...Mama?" Michiko moves too, towards her mother.

Her foot slips on the tile and she begins to fall backwards into the pond.

In her vision, she is running towards her mother.

"Michiko?" Her mother's face is stained with blood and other red marks, and from this close, the skin of her arms and her chest is scarred with thick, folded lines.

Confusion is followed by terror as the sharp tip of a dagger emerges through her mother's chest. She spits hot blood onto Michiko's face.

"My sweet…" She murmurs, collapsing in front of the tree-stump.

 _NO! DON'T GO! DON'T GO MAMA!_ Michiko hears her own voice, hysterically screaming for her mother to turn back around, to not leave through the gates of the Hidden Leaf.

Dark liquid pools around their feet.

The ' _splash'_ as Michiko falls into the pond is unheard outside.

While time flows normally outside the shrine, inside it Michiko is _still_ falling into the shallow pond.

Her arms are in the air trying to grasp something so that she can save herself, and the scream that leaves her throat is slow and sluggish.

She can feel a palm on her forehead and a thousand whispering voices. Their weight is pushing her under water, and she is gasping for breath.

Thrashing in slow motion, Michiko can feel the water pool in her lungs.

Someone is pushing something into the skin of her forehead.

She forgets that she is drowning, instead writhing from the pain- a bullet piercing her skull in slow motion. Her body shivers and thrashes until the pond is empty and Michiko is lying at the bottom, staring up at the cloudy sky.

A gentle drizzle patters onto her face as she groans.

* * *

 _WILL MICHIKO EVER MAKE IT BACK TO KONOHA?!_

 _(I don't know why I'm so excited.)_


	12. Sarutobi Estate

_The coming chapters have been...difficult to write. But it's a journey!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

"ARE YOU UCHIHA SHISUI, RIVAL OF MY ETERNAL RIVAL?"

Shisui is patiently waiting for his dinner when he is assaulted by the loud, exuberant voice of Might Gai. He barely has a moment to respond when the green form that halts in his periphery rushes to the other side of him. A small gust of wind follows his movements. Shisui rests his chin in his palm, elbow on the countertop as he turns to his left.

"I am Shisui, yes." He levels Gai's vivid gaze with his own ever-serene one, recognizing Konoha's Green Beast without a sliver of doubt. He is, however, unable to place who the Green Beast's eternal rival is.

"Pardon me, Gai-san. Who is this rival of yours?"

"Maa. Gai-san, it's really not the-"

"THIS MAN!" Gai dramatically gestures to Kakashi, who proceeds to stare at him with the same bored expression.

Finding this odd, Shisui moves to speak but Gai beats him to it with a finger pointed his way, "I CHALLENGE YOU!"

"I accept." Shisui counters, chin still resting in his palm, a small smile gracing his lips. His tone is smooth and cool.

Cheeks flushed, Gai takes a moment to digest Shisui's acceptance- he doesn't even wait to _hear_ what he is being challenged to. What a rival.

Sufficiently charmed, he turns his fuming cheeks to Kakashi.

"Where did you find SUCH A **YOUTH**?!"

"…" Kakashi scratches the back of his head. He already has too much on his mind. Shisui notices the strain in the Hatake- it only reveals itself for a second as his eye twitches at Gai's words.

' _Probably is a good time to step in.'_ Shisui turns his attention to Might Gai.

"Before we begin, however…" Shisui sits up, peers curiously first at Kakashi and then at Gai, "What gives you the impression that Kakashi is _my_ rival?"

There is a darkness in the Uchiha's eyes that can set any man on edge- "What if I told you…YOU were my eternal rival?"

Kakashi has never seen Gai blush with such intensity in all the years that he has known him. The young boy is abashed and his eyes are glittering with admiration.

"Really, Uchiha-san?"

Shisui chuckles at his reaction.

In the two weeks since Michiko's disappearance, Shisui has spent a considerable amount of time with Kakashi. Both remind themselves that they are _only_ working together to find her, exchanging information and aiding the investigation.

Kakashi watches Shisui as he laughs easily and goes along with Gai's antics- he finds that there is something strange about the Uchiha that he can't put his finger on.

' _He's so calm… It's like he isn't worried at all.'_

He knows that isn't the truth, and that Shisui hides his emotions, he just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong with the other boy.

' _Sometimes it feels like he's not really here.'_ Kakashi muses for a moment, ' _As if Michiko isn't really missing…'_

He has to admit though- whatever little they _do_ know about her is because of Shisui's efforts with the Konoha Police Force.

"Taichou."

Brought out of his reflection, Kakashi turns his attention to Tenzo, who has stealthily ducked into Ichiraku's.

"Hokage-sama has sent for us," He gives Shisui a guarded look, but the Uchiha is too distracted by Gai to notice it, "Without Uchiha-san."

For the most part, Tenzo is not quite comfortable in Shisui's presence and he is secretly relieved when Hiruzen's orders specifically exclude the boy.

He understands that Kakashi wants Michiko recovered, but he doesn't understand why Shisui must be _so_ involved in her recovery.

' _Because they are close.'_ Tenzo recalls Kakashi's vague statement, unable to piece together the _hint_ he has given him.

Kakashi slips quietly from his stool and they exit, together. Ichiraku-san sees them go and cancels their order with a shake of his head.

Shisui, despite Gai's ministrations, is keenly aware that Kakashi has left.

When the two Anbu arrive at the Sandaime's family residence, they are dressed in their gear and masks adorn their faces. Their arrival is well timed.

Asuma slides the door open with a _'thwack',_ an unlit cigarette between his nicotine-stained lips and his brow furrowed as he scoffs and mumbles something that is _entirely_ incoherent. Startled by the two men, he pauses and his nostrils flare for a second. The movement doesn't go unnoticed by the two at his door, and Tenzo shifts his weight onto his right foot.

"Kakashi. Tenzo. Old man's inside." That is all the acknowledgment the Sarutobi heir gives them, moving to push past them.

Sensing the familial tension, they let him pass without any comments. He sits himself on the porch and is lighting his cigarette when Tenzo moves to slide the door shut.

The Sarutobi's estate is old and it is very recognisant of the era in which it was first constructed- some odd 70 years ago. It is built at the top of a hilly residential area that has three other family-homes; one is abandoned, the other belongs to the Hyuuga and the third…is lived in occasionally by Tsunade-hime, Hashirama's granddaughter.

Kakashi has always visited Asuma and Michiko in the official Hokage residence and only has a few, vague memories of the Sarutobi estate.

The entrance is humble- a simple doorway hidden behind lush bushes, but the inside of the house carries the tasteful elegance of old wealth. There are several portraits of Sarutobi family members, some framed ancient maps, and several sculptures of...monkeys.

Kakashi spots a small portrait of a young Michiko, staring plainly back at him from a corner of the wall. He only places the face as hers because the expression is one she usually makes when he is trying to get on her nerves.

The Sarutobis, being vassals of the Senju, hold a high status within the ninja community. The heirs-apparent of the line however, have always been incredibly modest and unassuming. Kakashi is suddenly uncomfortable.

To the right of the doorway is a large portrait of Biwako Sarutobi, beneath it are two large vases of wilting lilies. The dark wooden floor gleams from the obvious care put into conserve it, but it is littered with yellowing petals, some that look like they have been stepped on multiple times.

The scent in the air is the sickly-sweet of decay. A bug is buzzing loudly in one of the partially budding flower-heads.

Kakashi feels depressed.

Opposite the entrance are three galleries, all vanishing into dark corridors. A movement at the end of the middle corridor alerts Tenzo and Kakashi to Itachi Uchiha's presence.

"Taichou. Tenzo-san. This way." The young Uchiha pauses briefly in the middle of the gallery as the others hurry to follow him, walking carefully past the decorative pieces in this corridor. Kakashi passes a mirror, only his silvery hair visible in the faint dark, and he wonders, ' _Why don't they have any lights on in here?'_

He is so distracted he nearly misses that Itachi has turned right into another hall and walks through a door into what appears to be a massive drawing room. It is also dark in here.

' _Seriously. Would it kill for them to…light some candles maybe?'_

Disoriented temporarily, Kakashi guesses that alone he might get lost in all the rooms and hallways, especially in the lightless-ness of it.

There is another door on the left of this room. An old chandelier hanging inside casts a dim yellow glow onto the floor.

Hiruzen is watching the two boys, eyes scrutinizing them over his clasped hands. His elbows rest on the elaborate desk; monkeys are carved into the thick legs. Their wooden eyes look faintly ghost-like as they stare at him.

The windows are open and a smattering of the lights of Konoha paint a serene view behind Hiruzen.

Despite the ventilation, the air is thick with tobacco, and there is an overflowing ashtray on the desk. Kakashi suspects that if the windows weren't wide open, the room would be too hazy to see anything.

"Michiko is alive."

Kakashi feels a knot in his chest again and shoves his hands in his pockets, wanting to throw a glance towards Shisui, but resisting. His eye is set intently on the man before him.

"She summoned Enma, who wasn't able rescue her," Hiruzen sounds and feels irritated, " _But_ he did get their location. Shisui's suspicions were correct, all along. She was kidnapped and has been given to Orochimaru."

Hiruzen clears his throat, lighting another cigarette. "They are close to Kirigakure."

The pipe he usually smokes is laying on the desk, a light layer of dust visible on its dark surface.

' _I thought I would never have to send anyone there again.'_ Even he is uneasy. His stoic face betrays little expression.

Itachi is the first to break the silence, eyes set intently on the Sandaime.

"Will we carry out the recovery mission?"

Hiruzen taps his cigarette over the edge of the ashtray as he mulls over the plan in his mind, "No."

Itachi expects as much and resumes his silence. Hiruzen spares the three boys a glance.

"Sandaime-sama," Startled by the interruption by _Kakashi_ of all the people, Hiruzen's sharp gaze falls on him, a hint of impatience in the twitch of his eyelids. He nods for the boy to continue, "I think as her squad, it is our duty. We are skilled enough- anyone else would have fewer chances of success."

Silence prevails again. Tenzo wonders why their squad hasn't been chosen for this mission and feels a minute twinge of guilt.

"Actually," Bemused, Hiruzen snuffs the remnants of the cigarette and laces his fingers together as he leans back in his seat, "There _is_ a squad more capable for this mission. If you reviewed the squad stats as is _your duty_ , Kakashi, you would know." He rests his entwined hands on his stomach, as the back of the seat creaks.

Another silence descends, Kakashi feels many things at once- irritation, guilt, surprise- and then he feels nothing at all. He _has_ been keeping an eye on the stats and he knows exactly who will be sent on the recovery mission. Expression stoic, he indicates his agreement with a single nod.

Before anyone can speak up again, the bushes outside the open window begin to shake as if they were having a fit. Startled, the four men turn their attention, watching the branches that peep above the sill quiver and shed a few leaves. The frantic rustling is followed by the hiss and screech of a cat.

The top of Asuma's head appears and ducks out of view as he cusses loudly. The cat screeches even _louder_.

Asuma stands up from his place in the bushes and fills up the window frame as he leans in. In his hand is a scraggly, black kitten with an elaborate bow around its neck. He extends his hand towards Itachi. The kitten in question looks absolutely miffed.

"This little boy is one of yours, I assume."

Asuma has a little red scratch on his face, but he is grinning victoriously. Seeing Itachi, the kitten panics and begins to squirm, desperate to set itself free.

"Let me go you fucking imp. I'll claw out your liver and-"

Appraisingly, Hiruzen raises an eyebrow and his tone is _sharp,_ "What exactly is going on here?"

The kitten paws the air.

"I'm certainly not fucking talking to any monkeys."

It manages to twist and nip Asuma's fingers and he yelps, releasing the black ball of fur- it disappears in a puff of smoke.

"I apologise, Sandaime-sama." Itachi says abruptly, embarrassed, stressed and unsure of how to cover up his friend's mistake. The kitten is undoubtedly an Uchiha summon- the attitude and the _language_ is an obvious indicator. More specifically, Itachi recognizes it as _Shisui's_.

Kakashi is amused to find that Itachi's cheeks are a shade of pink.

"Maa. Looks like someone was a little eager to get involved." His single eye arches into a curve as he uncharacteristically smiles. Hiruzen simply shakes his head.

"The recovery squad will be on it's way very soon." Hiruzen exhales slowly, dispelling his anger, "Itachi, bring Shisui to me now. The rest of you are dismissed. Stay on alert until the other squad returns."

The three Anbu nod and disappear in a blur, taking the window on their exit. That route is much simpler.

Asuma stares into the office, watching his father.

"At least tell me _who_ you sent."

Ignoring his son, Hiruzen lights another cigarette. The younger Sarutobi clicks his tongue at his father's behaviour. There is already enough angst between them, and Michiko's absence has escalated the strain of their relationship.

' _Please come home soon…'_


	13. Longterm Damage

_Two chapters in a day eh..._

* * *

Uchiha Shisui strolls down the high-street, weaving his way through piles of rubble and fresh bricks. The village has begun reconstruction and the Police Force is partially engaged in monitoring the ruins and helping them rebuild.

' _I can't believe they didn't send me.'_ Outwardly calm as he ducks into Ichiraku's, he feels a deep frustration over being unable to express what he feels in Michiko's absence, _and_ how he feels about being excluded from the recovery mission.

In truth, he is devastated. He keeps trying to remember whether he _had_ seen her in the Uchiha compound. The only reason she could have been there is to look for _him._ He feels responsible for her kidnapping, and he _should_ have been on the rescue team.

He feels like he has failed her, somehow.

' _There's got to be something… maybe, if someone else knew about her kekkei genkai.'_ He was one of the first people to witness it's awakening, and he was lucky that Hiruzen hadn't doubted him. Who else could have leaked the information to Orochimaru?

At first, he had suspected Tenzo or Kakashi knew, but they didn't. Michiko made _sure_. She was adamant that she hide her abilities because… she had issues with them.

' _She had issues with her kekkei genkai because of her mother.'_

He recalls the day she found out- on a particularly rough mission that she was doing alone, Shisui wasn't supposed to be there. Not even officially. He had felt her chakra from a few miles away and it had triggered a wild panic that set him on an irrational spur towards her.

But Michiko never needed his protection.

Seeing the bones had made him uneasy and slightly…nauseous, at first. The scars they left on her skin didn't look pleasant either. Shisui couldn't imagine that she took any pride in her ability. She told him all about it, a few days later.

He had turned home from a long shift, to find her lazing around his room. She had been waiting for him. Seeing her out of uniform, her hair in a messy bun, Shisui had wasted no time in diminishing the space between them with a very passionate kiss.

The memory of it makes him blush, so he sits in Ichiraku's, kicking his feet in the air with his cheeks and ears aflame.

She had told him everything- about her mother, and how she had abandoned her after her father died. She told him about her links to Kirigakure. What had irked Shisui the most was the _way_ she had retold everything to him, as if she was admitting something she was guilty of.

" _Michiko." He held her face gently between his calloused hands, "You're not responsible for your mother's past. You are a Sarutobi, you belong to Konoha."_

At the time, that had felt like the right thing to say to her. Her loyalty couldn't have been questioned- her father had fought in the third shinobi war, her uncle was the sandaime hokage, she was an Anbu with a very clean record- and most of all, she was a bright, passionate girl with a very strong will to protect those she loved.

The village belongs to her, just as much as she belongs to it.

' _She belongs to me too.'_ He thinks, sullenly.

Upon discovering his little spy at the Sarutobi estate, Hiruzen had really handed his ass to him and that left Shisui sore. He feels useless. Hiruzen had ordered him to 'know his place'.

There wasn't a _single_ stone unturned or lead left unfollowed by Shisui, hell, if Konoha knew that Orochimaru had Michiko, it was thanks to _him_.

' _Well…if they couldn't send Team Ro, I was also way out of the equation.'_ Pouting slightly, he orders a bowl of ramen and sits with his forehead resting on the cool countertop.

Ichiraku's is mostly empty at this time- most families ate around 7.30 and 8 PM, while the shinobi population begins trickling in past 9.30 PM. Shisui is the only patron at the refurbished restaurant.

"Shisui-san," Ichiraku's gentle old-man voice rouses him to look up. "Why don't you take a seat in one of our booths, they're new."

Yes, even the old-man is telling him to sulk in a corner out of sight. He doesn't mean it that way, he wants to give Shisui some privacy.

' _Man, I must really look beat.'_ Smiling politely, he slips off the stool and trudges to a booth in front of a window. He slides to the end of the seat and leans his forehead against the glass. He wonders how the recovery mission is going.

' _What if they fail?'_

It's a dangerous thought, but he has a contingency plan forged and ready the minute he finds out if the squad has failed. Kakashi is in on it too.

Morosely, he glances out the window.

Hatake Kakashi has grown into an acquaintance of sorts, and although Shisui trusts him now, there is a faint envy of the silver-haired boy.

When Shisui traipsed off to 'rescue' Michiko, she had mistaken him for Kakashi.

He taps his fingers on the table, considering the benefits of not being on Team Ro.

' _How on earth could I possibly carry out missions if I kept thinking about protecting her?'_

Yep. It's definitely much better this way.

Shisui lapses into a trail of slow, boring thoughts about his day. The Police Force is helping rebuild the city and his arms are very sore from construction. He sighs audibly, just as Ichiraku-san brings a steaming bowl of ramen and places it gently on the table.

"I heard they've gone looking for your friend."

Surprised that he knows about it, Shisui turns his gaze towards the old-man. "Yes, they have."

"I hope it all works out." He knocks on the wood, and retreats to the kitchen calling out behind him, "Let me know if you want seconds."

' _Seconds?_ '

Shisui stares at the steaming hot meal, feeling slightly sick.

' _Michiko is out there, somewhere. Maybe she's not even alive. And I'm sitting here scarfing down all this food.'_

He feels guilty. Sick to his stomach, he puts his head in his hands and fists his hair. It takes _a lot_ of effort to not fling the bowl off the table.

He leaves some money on the table, slides open the window and leaves.

First, he walks to the Sarutobi estate. Skirting along the borders of the lawn, he realises that he is being watched by Anbu, suspiciously. He pretends to ignore them, more so to save them from embarrassment.

' _What kind of Anbu isn't stealthy?'_

He leaves, and trudges slowly to Hokage Rock, where he had his first date with Michiko. Perched atop Tobirama Sanju's head, he spends a few hours just sitting there in the cold wind. His head begins to ache- a stress headache no doubt.

Surrendering for the night, at about 3 AM, he trudges back to Michiko's small flat. He has a spare key and has been spending most of his nights sleeping here. It is his only reprieve and comfort.

Unable to undress himself, he lays on the unmade bed that now smells more like him than her. The fan turns and creaks slowly and he has pushed the window open because he suddenly feels too warm.

Staring at the ceiling, he passes the next few hours in a strange, sleepless state where he thinks of nothing. He mutes his mind and ignores the uncomfortable stickiness of his skin.

When the sky begins to lighten, he pushes himself out of bed and takes a cold shower.

He is towelling his hair when Kakashi comes through the window, looking twitchy.

"Shisui!" The man pauses when he realises the Uchiha is naked, and overlooks it, "They got her, she's back. She's alive."

"What?!"

Shisui fumbles around, losing control of his muscles for a moment. Tossing the towel, he darts to the closet and pulls out his spare clothes. Dressing quickly, forgetting his headband and usual gear, he follows Kakashi to the hospital.

Shiranui Genma and Might Gai are standing on opposite sides of the doorway, casually leaning against the frame, their arms crossed as they talk under hushed voices. Inside the room, Hiruzen Sarutobi is overlooking his old student, Tsunade, as she heals his niece.

Unassumingly, Kakashi appears with Shisui. The two had to wait outside the entrance while Kakashi tried to get Shisui to calm down. He hasn't slept properly in some time, and his hair is still damp but wild from having rushed here.

"Okay Shisui, if you barge in they won't let you into her room."

The Uchiha agreed, taking time to collect himself before walking into the building and climbing up the stairs, two steps at a time.

Seeing them approach, the other two jounin block the doorway.

"Hokage's orders." Genma explains gently. He gives Kakashi and Shisui a lazy look, and Gai appears less enthusiastic.

"Is she okay?" Shisui probes, hands in his pockets, projecting a strange sense of collectedness that wasn't there when they went scrambling from Michiko's flat to the hospital. Kakashi eyes him wearily.

"They…" Genma exchanges a look with Gai. "They're healing her. Lots of…genjutsu damage." He speaks carefully and once his gaze settles on Shisui, he pretty much ignores Kakashi.

"Genjutsu damage?" Kakashi asks, Genma nods without sparing him a glance, and then leans against the doorway and closes his eyes, "You'll have to wait until they're done for the details. Sorry, Shisui-san. It's confidential until Sandaime-sama says it isn't."

His laid-back attitude irritates Shisui. Kakashi deadpans, eyes flitting between Genma and Gai.

"Well. I guess we can just wait here until they're done, right Kakashi?" Shisui forces a smile and Gai fidgets as his cheeks redden. If they hang around any longer, he won't be able to keep the information to himself.

Excusing himself, Gai rushes down to the toilets. Genma, used to his teammate, fills the silence with brief details that don't give away _too much_ of what happened.

"You were right, Shisui-san. It _was_ him." He's chewing a piece of straw between his lips, furtively. "She wasn't doing so well when we found her."

Kakashi leaves the pair, following Gai to the toilets. The other man is in a corner, in tears.

"Forgive me, Kakashi!" He blubbers, "I have to tell you what happened."

"Maa. Gai-san, you don't want to go against Sandaime-sama's orders do you?"

Fidgeting, Gai grows more uncomfortable and under a tensed, whispered breath he says, "She has prolonged exposure to a mangekyo sharingan. Tsunade-sama thinks she won't recover some parts of her memory."

" _What?"_

"Keep your voice down." Gai urges, beckoning Kakashi to come closer. In the space of the public toilets, two shinobi huddled in a corner whispering is a strange, concerning sight.

"She was unconscious and hooked up to some tubes when we found her. We had to…fight off some weirdos- but no sign of Orochimaru himself, just his labs."

Gai glances at the door for a moment, "When we brought her back, the medic healed her, but she wouldn't wake up- when she suspected 'genjutsu' damage, Sandaime-sama called in Tsunade-sama."

Now he shakes his head, afraid of looking Kakashi in the eye. "I'm sorry Kakashi, I just don't know where or how someone could have done that to _her."_

" _Done what exactly?"_ Kakashi's voice is strained, and his throat feels like someone has clawed it raw from the inside.

"I can't say I know. Tsunade-sama said something about being repeatedly exposed to the Sharingan over a short period of time, she said it was enough to make some people go insane."

Kakashi quietens, the cogs of his mind turning. "I didn't know Orochimaru had an Uchiha on his side."

Gravely, Gai shakes his head. "He doesn't… not that we know of at least."

That's when they both think it; that the Uchiha have been covering up on their strays and missing-nins.


	14. Tsunade-Sama All Seeing, All Knowing

"That _should_ do the trick." Tsunade says, collapsing onto the little chair beside the bed. She has spent the last two hours healing Sarutobi Michiko, a young Anbu and niece of her former sensei, Hiruzen.

She is speaking to no one in particular because the room _is_ empty. However, she is aware of the pairs of ears listening in from the outside. Someone pops his head into the doorway, "Can I come in now, Tsunade-sama?"

Tired, she doesn't spare the unfamiliar voice a glance at first, but as Shisui enters the room, she nearly balks. The tall young man has a strangely familiar gait, and Tsunade has to squint at him to make sure she's not seeing a ghost.

"Oh…" Her surprise makes Shisui hesitate and he pauses, finally realising that he is in the same room as her.

"Tsunade-sama." He greets gently, a half-smile appearing on his tired face. His eyes crinkle at the ends, and the other woman makes note of the telling creases hidden beneath his thick lower lashes.

Tsuande gives him a tight-lipped smile, eyeing him in a way that makes Shisui flush from consciousness. He looks so familiar to her that she is struck by the semblance.

"Are you Kagami's grandson?"

He finally understands why she is scrutinizing him and nods, "Yes, I am."

"You look just like him." Tsunade smiles weakly, gesturing for him to come into the room, "Please, come in. I didn't mean to stop you."

It's almost as if he has released a breath, and in a blur, he is by the bed and looking over at Michiko's sleeping form. Tsunade is glad that she has healed all the bruises and cuts from the girl's face. There are still some yellowed marks, but those will fade in a few hours.

She pushes back the chair, watching Shisui with concern as his shoulders tense up. Hiruzen has mentioned him to her before, saying he uncovered evidence to implicate Orochimaru in her kidnapping. Tsunade wonders what he might have to say about the sharingan damage the girl has experienced.

Sensing that the boy would like some privacy, she decides to leave the room.

Emerging from the curtained doorway, she is more startled to find Kakashi outside, knowing fully that he _hates_ hospitals.

"Kakashi." She greets him, bemused, "I wonder what brings _you_ here."

"Tsunade-sama." He pushes away from the wall he's leaning on to stand straighter, "You just healed one of my comrades. Thank you."

 _Comrade, eh?_

Tsunade makes a show of glancing around the waiting room, "I don't see the _rest_ of your team."

Nonchalantly, Kakashi shrugs, "They didn't mind leaving. How bad is the damage?"

 _Ah, so he has heard._ Shinobi don't gossip much, unless the information is important.

"Fairly bad, but she'll live. We'll know more once she's awake, it really depends on whether she can remember her ordeal."

The Hatake nods and resumes leaning on the wall. He knows he doesn't _need_ to be here, but over the two weeks that Michiko has been missing he has been extensively involved in investigating her kidnapping- he doesn't want to leave Shisui.

He doesn't want to leave until Michiko wakes up.

"Care to join me for lunch?"

It's noon, and the bright light hurts Tsunade's eyes. Wordlessly, or maybe he does reply but she doesn't hear it, Kakashi falls into step with her.

They climb up another floor to the cafeteria which is on the roof. The ward Michiko is in is a private section of Konoha Civil Hospital, and the roof-top cafeteria is for private-ward patients and attendees only.

Because it's a private affair, one would expect the food to be _good_. Kakashi wrinkles his nose at the smell of it- hospital food will always be _hospital_ food.

Tsunade scans the menu on the board with her hands on her hips, and dissatisfied with her options, orders a cup of tea after instructing Kakashi to find them a table.

Tea is the one thing that will ease her crankiness.

Weaving through the cafeteria to the very end, Kakashi plops himself down on a four-person table where they can feel the breeze and keep their distance from the hustle bustle. He has scoured the cafeteria for any strange characters, but they are mostly old women, some single men, or women with children.

' _No families.'_ He notes, as he lazily places his right arm on the back of the empty chair next to his.

"That took a lot out of me." Tsunade complains as she drags the heavy chair back and sits down.

"Does it normally take so much time?" He asks, his eyes just coming to rest on Tsunade after carefully eyeing each of the cafeteria-staff, slowly.

She stirs her tea, spoon clinking noisily against the ceramic, a finger on her chin as she thinks for a moment, "It depends- but it almost always takes a long time. I just feel bad for whichever chump did this, he's probably lost 2/3 of his vision." She shakes her head, "In any case, it's very concerning that this happened under our very noses."

Kakashi takes a deep breath and begins speaking in a hushed, low voice.

"This whole thing feels very off. She was recovered from Orochimaru's lab, but we _know_ he doesn't have any Uchiha allies. Unless the clan is hiding that someone defected- which is very, _very_ unlikely."

They share a dark look. The Uchiha clan has a very strict policy for defectors- _death_ , unless you have a very good reason. Most defectors that survive lose their eyes and then die anyway.

Tsunade remains silent. For a sannin to make any statements about the loyalty of a clan is, at the moment, inappropriate. She steers clear of politics. The perceptive ANBU captain understands this.

"Will she wake up soon?" He blinks a little too quickly.

"Probably in another 8 hours- but Kakashi," She takes a sip of her tea, "You can't tell her about Biwako-senpai, not until she's more stable. In her state, she may relapse…"

The younger boy nods. Biwako has raised Michiko since her mother left- when Michiko hears of her death, she will be…. Well, Kakashi doesn't want to imagine how she might feel- he is afraid of kindling his own memories of loss.

Minato and Kushina's absence now is _his own_ failure- He is unable to keep this thought from resurfacing, so he lets himself suffer the guilt.

Seeing the sudden mellowed gaze, a buzz of mischief and boredom prompts Tsunade to provoke Kakashi. She knows he is simply on Michiko's squad as her captain, but on the chance occasions that his team members have been healed by her, he hasn't stuck around before.

' _Michiko is a special comrade, eh?'_

The opportunity to tease him is one she doesn't want to slip up.

"So…" She begins, eyeing him from over the rim of her mug, "Are you and little miss Sarutobi seeing each other?"

To her absolute _glee,_ for a millisecond Kakashi feels affronted. His ears begin to burn and Kakashi wishes his only visible eye were also hidden. Tsunade's eyes twinkle with mirth.

He feels exposed.

Calmly, he sighs and explains to Tsunade that Michiko is seeing Uchiha Shisui.

"Oh… But you're not saying you don't have feelings for her?" Tsunade finds the way he steps around the subject…endearing.

"She is on my squad." Shiftily, he glances at someone brushing past their table a little too close for his liking, "She is my friend, in a way."

" _In a way?"_

His single eye roams from the passing stranger to the table, the mug and then finally, Tsunade.

"Yes."

He enunciates carefully, and Tsunade finds herself feeling very amused.

She chuckles, "Oh Kakashi. You just never change."


	15. A Missing Patient

Shisui spends three hours in Michiko's room. He plops himself down on the windowsill and watches her resting form. He wants to hold her hand and caress her, but somehow, seeing her like that frightens him. He feels displaced.

He is guilty of using his sharingan to examine her chakra stream- and the damage he sees disturbs him even more than the sight of her unconscious form, hooked up to beeping machines.

Restless, he decides that he needs to talk to Itachi.

Sensing Shisui's departure, somewhere on the rooftop cafeteria, Kakashi drums his fingers on the table-top and wonders if he should go back to Michiko's room.

Or more specifically, go back to standing _outside_ Michiko's room.

He doesn't have the courage to go in and see her; he has always hated the pungent, antibacterial smells, the sights of machinery and white sheets- they remind him more of death than his job does.

He doesn't mention this to Tsunade, but he has an inkling that she understands.

Kakashi has lost all the people he has ever loved, and while he doesn't _love_ Team Ro, or his comrades (they are his teammates and friends but that's about it, he is sure), Michiko holds a connection to Obito that he finds himself valuing. Sometimes, her mannerisms are also reminiscent of the late Uchiha, and while it irked Kakashi when she joined Team Ro, he has now grown accustomed to it.

Accustomed? Rather, he _needs_ her goofy, irritating behaviour. It brings a normalcy to his life that he has almost forgotten.

Tsunade stares sullenly over her empty mug at Kakashi, and then abruptly pushes back her chair and bounces onto her feet.

"I'll be back in about four hours. See ya."

Watching her departing form, Kakashi pushes back his chair and it makes a shrill ' _eek'_ as he pushes himself onto his feet.

' _Can't hurt to go check on Michiko.'_

The cafeteria is nearly vacant now, but the few people scattered across it all seem to be watching him from the corner of their eyes. He suddenly feels conscious of his _jounin_ uniform.

They probably think he looks too young to be in it, or they recognize him.

' _Or they know my dad.'_

Hands in his pockets, he trudges to the exit, nodding a thank you to the man at the till. As soon as he is out of sight, Kakashi uses a little chakra to transport himself _quickly_ to Michiko's door.

Nobody is outside.

There is no sign of Gai, or Genma (who gets on Kakashi's nerves, so he's a bit relieved at his absence).

He slides open the door to her room and peers inside, pushing away the curtains that act as a secondary 'door'. While anxiety coils in his chest, he feels a burst of empathy for the girl- here she is, broken and injured, and all alone.

Sentimentality is a quality Kakashi is glad he hasn't lost _yet._

As he slides the door shut gently behind him, he detects the faint bitter trail of tobacco. Surely enough, there is a bit of ash on the windowsill.

' _Asuma must have been here.'_ Kakashi guesses that he has brought the flowers that are now sitting on the bedside, ' _Or perhaps Kurenai was here too.'_

He hasn't noticed them come and go, but he wasn't sensing for them- he was focused on Shisui and whatever faint traces of Michiko he can pick up. Thoughtfully, he probes the building for familiar chakra signatures; there is Tenzo somewhere close by, and Gai and Genma are with him.

Annoyed, Kakashi stands in the middle of the room, eyes set on Michiko. She looks deceptively like she is asleep, but Kakashi knows that she usually sleeps on her side, curled up, rather than on her back with her hands by her side. She suddenly looks like she might be dead, and he panics.

He stoops his head and listens to her breathing.

Satisfied, he picks up the chair Tsunade left in the centre of the room and carries it to the other side of Michiko's bed, sitting between her and the window.

"Maa, Michiko-chan. Don't you think you've worried us enough for the last couple of weeks?" Leaning forward, he brushes his fingers over her arm, gently thumbing her skin. Then, he sits back and turns his face away to stare out the window.

The longer he stares out into the bright, late afternoon, the more his eye pulses. He turns to watch the doorway, hearing the sound of Hiruzen's steps as he climbs up the stairs. A few minutes later, the old man is standing at the door as if he is afraid to come in.

The thing about hospitals that Kakashi despises _most_ is the strange hovering between life and death. As he watches the Hokage looking apprehensive and pale, he realizes that these situations force people to confront mortality in a way that shinobi have learned to become immune to on the battlefield and during missions.

A risky job looks like a slice of cake next to a sick body ravaged by disease.

Kakashi has to shake himself from the dark trail of thought- Michiko isn't sick, she is hurt, and she is healing. Hiruzen wearily enters the room and sits at the edge of Michiko's bed.

"Thank you for staying with her, Kakashi."

The Hatake nods in response, he wishes he could tell Hiruzen that he isn't _babysitting._ He cares. He wants her to wake-up.

Of course, he keeps all of this to himself.

"Would you like me to leave, Sandaime-sama?"

"No, no." Hiruzen clears his throat and begins to cough. The sound is grizzly, and Kakashi glances at Michiko as if she would wake up and tell her uncle to stop being so loud. She doesn't.

"Stay. I imagine she will be very surprised to find you here if she wakes up."

' _If?'_ Kakashi keeps his eye rested on Hiruzen's form, the man's shoulders droop and he looks like age is catching up with him at last.

"She'll be up soon, according to Tsunade-sama."

"She spoke to you?"

"Yes."

Kakashi is always curt with his responses, but then again, he does not wish to overstep his boundaries around the Hokage.

A few moments later, Shisui has appeared through the window. If he is surprised to see the other two in the room, he does not show it.

"Hello, Sandaime-sama." He bows his head respectfully and then turns his attention to Kakashi, "Yo."

"Looks like we have a party in here." Hiruzen says dryly, watching Shisui as he leans against the wall in front of the bed. "Tsunade will be sure to throw us all out when she is back."

Shisui laughs, "I'm sure of it. I wouldn't want to annoy her."

"Maa, isn't there a belief that people in a coma can still hear you?"

"Yeah, I've heard something of the sort." Shisui says carefully, glancing between Hiruzen and Michiko, "You think she can hear us?"

"Maybe." Hiruzen speaks up, "Michiko, just so you know. I am considering that Hyuuga proposal- he's a nice, handsome boy and once you're 18 you'll be hitched."

As Hiruzen speaks, he narrows his eyes and leans closer to Michiko and waits for a reaction. Shisui looks very concerned and confused, he furrows his eyebrows and his lips part comically.

Kakashi leans back in his chair and closes his eye.

Hiruzen sighs audibly and shakes his head, "Usually that gets quiet the reaction out of her." And then, he laughs shakily. "I imagine she'll demand answers once she wakes up." Cheekily, Hiruzen gives Shisui an appraising glance, and the boy seems to shrivel under his stare.

The Uchiha nearly shrinks into the wall. Mildly amused, Kakashi stands up from the chair.

"Shisui-san, please take a seat. I'll be taking my leave."

"Oh, so soon?" Hiruzen asks disinterestedly, fishing his pipe from his coat pocket.

Of course, nobody is allowed to smoke indoor-, but he is the Hokage and he doesn't give two shits about the smoking policy in a room he won't leave until his niece wakes up.

"Actually," He lights a match and proceeds to burn the tobacco, taking a slow drag as the younger boys turn their attention to him, "Both of you are dismissed. Don't come back here until tomorrow."

' _How cruel.'_ Kakashi nods and turns to leave, eyeing Shisui who looks like he wants to say something- the poor boy is rooted in his spot, pale and twitchy. Kakashi places a hand on his shoulder and gestures with his head, ' _Lets go. Leave them be.'_

Hesitantly, the Uchiha complies. He glances at Michiko over his shoulder as he follows Kakashi out of the window.

The next morning, Michiko is gone.

Her room has been vacated, and instead an old, fat man snores loudly on the bed. A young woman who has been sitting by him pales when Shisui climbs onto the window sill.

Before she can scream or question his identity, he lets go of the sill and free falls back onto the dusty street, thoroughly annoyed.

' _That old man has some tricks up his sleeve.'_

Just as he shoves his hands in his pockets, Kakashi finds him.

"Yo." He calls, from a few feet away, both men walk up to each other, hands in pockets, nonchalant expression and all that. Really, neither of the two knows why they bother retaining and hiding their feelings when they both know they are frustrated at the Sandaime's actions.

"Do you know where she is?" Shisui asks, eyes glancing behind Kakashi to spot Itachi approaching them, dressed casually with some flowers in hand. He raises a hand and waves.

Shisui nods in acknowledgment, his mood gradually souring. It seems like everyone wants to see Michiko and _he_ can't get close to her without a billion people in their space. He knows it's a mean thought to have- she has other friends and family, and colleagues that care about her.

"No, I don't." Kakashi responds.

"What's going on?" Itachi has caught up to them and hears snippets of Kakashi's response. The white-haired, mildly sleepy jounin replies before Shisui can answer, "Michiko isn't in her room. I haven't seen Tsunade-sama around either so I suspect that Sandaime-sama has taken her home."

Itachi shifts his gaze from Kakashi to Shisui, who looks strangely bitter, then back to Kakashi, "Which home?" He asks gently.

"Not sure."

Shisui crosses his arms, lower lip protruding slightly as he tilts his head and looks thoughtful- _upset_ but thoughtful, "Probably went back to the family home."

Itachi notes that Shisui sounds gloomy- a moment later, he begins to visibly sulk, his hands back in his pockets. Kakashi _would_ look amused, if the Uchihas could see his expression.

"Well…I'm not allowed to go around there so, I'll just…" Shisui trails off, kicking a rock as he moves to walk away.

"Why aren't you allowed?"

Shisui stills and Itachi looks uncomfortable. Kakashi glances between the two, "Is it because…?"

"It's because the council elders haven't _permitted_ Police Force personnel to enter official family or clan property until the political situation is stable."

"But you're Michiko's boyfriend, you're not going as a policeman." Kakashi tilts his head, guessing that Danzo is responsible for such an infraction and disrespect of the Uchiha clan. He can never understand where the enmity comes from.

"It's just how it is." Shisui shrugs, and then his lips quirk into a smile that spreads across his face and lights up his eyes, "She'll be awake soon, I know it."

Itachi nods, "Kakashi and I can go see her and then let you know how she is doing."

Shisui places a hand on Itachi's head and ruffles his neat hair, "You do that for me."

And with a flash, he disappears.

"He's upset." Kakashi observes, flatly. Itachi hums in agreement, "I would be too, if I was banned from seeing my girlfriend."

"You have a girlfriend?"

Kakashi doesn't need to hear Itachi's response- his cheeks are flushed and he has his answer. He laughs, a rare chuckle that makes Itachi smile too, although he hides it.

* * *

Groaning and squirming under the thick blanket laid over her, Michiko tries to sit up. Her body aches from the bed sores that have developed and her limbs feel thick and heavy- the blanket really doesn't help.

"Ah…" Breaking free and rubbing her eyes, she squints at the room. The curtains have been pulled shut, but the scent of lavender in the air tells her that she is home.

On her bedside, there is a clear jug of water and a glass.

She kicks the blanket off her body slowly and attempts to pick up the jug. Her hands quiver and shake and she spills a bit of water on the table top.

"Oops…"

"MICHIKO!"

Flinching, she turns to look over her shoulder at the doorway to find Itsuko-san, the old housekeeper, staring at her teary-eyed.

"Asuma-sama! Hiruzen-sama!" He begins to shout for the other two, scurrying off somewhere and then rushing back to her bedroom door to address her calmly, "Just a moment Michiko-sama."

He disappears again, leaving Michiko with a bewildered but comical expression as she hears him practically shout down the house for his two other masters.

She can hear Asuma thundering down the corridor upstairs- but Hiruzen is already at her door. Flustered from the onslaught of excited attention, Michiko smiles weakly.

"Hello, ojii-san."

Hiruzen chews the end of the pipe in his mouth, and then reaches up with his hand to take it from his lips, blowing a ring of smoke in the air, "Hello, mei."

Red-faced and teary eyed, Asuma appears behind his father and peers over his shoulder to look at Michiko.

"Thank Kami you're up!"

Michiko looks a little bewildered. Hiruzen glides into the room and seats himself on one of the fancy wrought-iron chairs in front of the large windows. Asuma shuffles at his ankles and then scoops his cousin into a big hug. He holds her for a little while, the side of his face pressed over Michiko's head.

"Ah, _baka-itoko_ you scared me. You scared us all."

Michiko chuckles, "You're overreacting Asuma, I've been gone for missions before."

Her cousin doesn't release her, and it's only when she wriggles her head to grin at her uncle that she realises from his somber expression, that something is _wrong_.

"What is it?"

Asuma lets her go, looking uneasily from her to his feet and then wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"What?" She tilts her head and tries to make eye-contact, but he evades her.

Luckily for Hiruzen and Asuma, Itsuko-san has returned with a tray of broth and tea, and Tsunade in tow.

"Michiko, my girl!" She claps a heavy, strong hand on the younger one's shoulder and Michiko flinches- remembering that the same shoulder had been dislocated earlier.

 _Earlier…? What happened earlier?_

Just as quickly as she remembers dislocating her shoulder, she forgets- and then she can't figure out why her shoulder aches and what she is forgetting. It becomes an itch in her brain.

"Sit down, Michiko-chan. Let me check you up." Tsunade instructs, firmly.

She takes Michiko by the elbow and nudges her back to the bed. The girl sits slowly and peers curiously at Tsunade. The medic first checks her eyes with a little penlight.

"Okay Michiko, how old are you?"

"Uh… 15…?" She trails off, uncertain because she doesn't understand why she is being asked this.

"Okay, good girl. Can you tell me where you are?"

"In my house."

"Where?"

"The Sarutobi estate," She clarifies, "In Konoha."

"Okay. And do you remember when you left Konoha?"

"Yeah, when…I was…" Michiko's eyes seem to flit left to right as she stares at the empty space between her and Tsunade. "I was… At the Fire Temple."

And then she remembers a fight and rushing to Konoha. "I went to the Uchiha compound after that."

"What did you do there?"

"I…" She looks at Hiruzen, confused. "I went to look for someone."

"Someone?" Tsunade probes.

"I couldn't find anyone, so I… I went to search for Shisui."

"Did you find him?"

Hiruzen has sat forward in his seat, tobacco burning slowly in the pipe in his mouth. He is concerned, mildly frightened and a little upset. These feelings are concealed behind his eyes.

"I didn't." Michiko says firmly, but her expression is troubled. "I'm sorry Tsunade-sama, I don't remember what happened there. I was… staring into the gate and I thought- I thought someone was behind me, and I don't remember what I saw. I…" She panics and her pupils dilate, "I can't remember anything."

Tsunade nods casually, and takes Michiko's tea from the tray, "Here, drink up."

The herbal brew is bitter, but the taste is comforting. Michiko takes several sips before speaking up again.

"Where is oba-san?"


	16. Looking for Graves

Grief is a powerful emotion- it is a bit like a drug after you've experienced it frequently- you don't realise you're having a withdrawal from it until your emotions begin to flatten themselves out and feel unreal. Time disentangles itself and becomes a floaty, eerie mess and memories fall out of place and stroll into the present.

Michiko has turned Hiruzen's answer to her question over and over, looking for some indication of truth.

" _Biwako will be home soon. She's working as a midwife until the hospital has a lower patient burden."_

Historically, that is something Biwako does very often, butMichiko feels it in her bones, she can hear it in his voice and she can hear it in the way he walks away from her with his feet shuffling across the floor; Hiruzen is lying.

First, she asks old Itsuko, an excellent liar. He shrugs and says she is busy. Then Michiko asks Asuma, who gives away, for a millisecond, that something is awry. He tells her the same thing Hiruzen has said.

Dissatisfied, Michiko showers slowly and dresses in black, ankle-length trousers, dawns a plain, v-neck, maroon blouse and pulls on a grey, white and green haori that has the Sarutobi-clan's sygil on the back.

Unusual attire for Michiko, because she's generally not very showy about her clan or family.

She revisits the hospital and scours the list of on-call midwives. Then, she asks interrogates some nurses. Irritated and angry, she demands to know _where_ Biwako is working- but everyone shrugs their shoulders pityingly and shakes their head.

' _They're all lying to me.'_

So, Michko goes to the one place she knows can't lie.

She has felt every sensation as she walks to the graveyard, and through it, in search of her aunt's grave. She feels the soles of her shoes, the sound of the wind and the sound of construction, the noise of people and hammers and voices. She feels the thick, clammy air of the crowded streets and she can smell Konoha- dry grass, sand, wet earth in some places, the thick and sometimes spicy and sickening smells of street food, the smell of sweat and people.

She traverses through the graveyard and scans every new-looking gravestone out of curiosity. A lot of people have died in the last few weeks, it seems. At last, she arrives at a specific one.

The Sarutobi graves are located deep within the graveyard, a large plot of land that overlaps with some very ancient headstones that are barely legible. Even her father's grave stone looks weathered, although still legible.

She stops to visit him. A creeper has grown over the grey rock and it is sprouting lovely red flowers that Michiko decides look beautiful. She brushes them with her fingertips and strokes the stone affectionately.

' _Hello papa.'_

The earth always smells damp as if it has been rained on. It feels strange to be here, because beside her father's grave is an empty spot, once reserved for her mother. Now, it waits for her.

As Michiko stands up from her awkward crouch, she spots a new gravestone on the far right, beside her grandparents'. It is rectangular and is an unusual shade of white. There are flowers around it- lilies, three or four little pots of water holding three of four flowers.

The air stirs; it picks the sound of rustling grass- a low, musical sound. Michiko can hear the wind in her ears, strands of hair whipping up and around her face, into her eyes and her mouth. Impatiently she runs her palms over her cheeks and her eyes and pushes her hair up onto her head.

Of all the places in Konoha that Michiko frequents, the graveyard really is top contender for 1st place.

At first, she feels nothing looking down at the little rock.

' _Sarutobi Biwako- a loving wife, a doting mother.'_

She reads, over and over again, absorbing the words and trying to make them feel real.

At first, she thinks she feels sad and the feeling ebbs away and is replaced by nothingness. Then, she feels like she has been torn into pieces.

She stands there for a few minutes, reading the stone again and again.

' _Sarutobi Biwako- a loving wife, a doting mother.'_

' _Sarutobi Biwako- a loving wife, a doting mother.'_

' _Sarutobi Biwako- a loving wife, a doting mother.'_

In her mind, her aunt is still alive, standing at the door to her bedroom with her hands on her hips asking Michiko to wash her laundry.

Then, a sob wreaks its way through her so hard that she folds her arms and drops her shoulders and turns into herself, weeping and hiccupping like a little girl.

"I'm sorry, oba-chan." She weeps, pathetically.

The last time she cried like this was when they lowered her father into the ground.

She kneels in front of the grave, damp soaking in through the cloth of her trousers. The earth is soft, she feels like she has sunk into it a little.

About 15 minutes later, she stands up and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. With puffy eyelids, she stares, squints and sniffles. Occasionally she suppresses the urge to cry again.

"Michiko."

A soft, baritone voice urges her out of her state, but she remains facing the grave. She clenches her fists and unclenches them a few times. She doesn't recognise who has called out to her, but she can only think that it doesn't sound like Asuma or Hiruzen.

' _Shisui-kun?'_

Curiosity gets the better of her and she turns to peer over her shoulder, at-

Hatake Kakashi.

Hands in his pockets, he is dressed head to toe in black. He watches her as she responds to his presence, at first straightening up, her mouth opens and closes and then she looks away from him and clenches her eyes shut.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice ups a notch and cracks as she struggles to speak coherently.

"I had an inkling you would be here." He says slowly, honestly.

' _You shouldn't be alone.'_

He proceeds to approach her, and then places a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry for your loss, Michiko."

Maybe it is his words, or the human contact- but Michiko is overwhelmed by the burning sensation of grief and horror as she realises that this change is undoable- Biwako is dead.

Her shoulders quiver and she bites her lip to keep the tears at bay. Kakashi, awkward as he is, steps in front of her and puts his arms around her shoulders in a clumsy embrace.

Then, Michiko begins to cry again, so he rests his chin on top of her head and waits until she is done.

When her sobs reduce to sniffles, Michiko murmurs a question into Kakashi's chest, "When did it happen?"

"During the nine-tails attack."

Kakashi is staring gloomily back towards the rest of the cemetery, watching a family flitter in slowly through the gates. He wants to say more, but he doesn't because he knows it never helps.

Michiko pulls away from him and he lifts his chin from her head, peering down at her with his single eye. She's twiddling her hands and nodding to herself.

"Okay." She says, her voice stuffy from her blocked nose. She wipes her eyes again and then clears her throat.

"I want to stay here a while longer." She murmurs, peering at the grave sadly. Kakashi watches her mouth as she speaks, her lips have become darker as she has wept and her cheeks are flushed.

He takes a step back once he notices that they are only a few inches apart.

"I can stay with you if you like." He shoves his hands into his pocket, glancing off towards the gate again.

"No. I'd like to be alone." She turns away from him and stands over the grave, feeling awkward, "But…thank you for coming here, taichou."

He blinks at her and then nods once, unsure of how to react.

' _I've done whatever I can.'_

Honestly, he knows that he only came here to see her in the flesh. He doesn't stop to look back as he leaves the cemetery.

Michiko on the other hand, sullenly regrets sending him away when she glances at his departing form.

' _It's so…nice of him. You always liked him, didn't you?'_

Frowning, she turns back to her aunt's grave and feels lonely again. There's a strange disorientation in her mind- she doesn't even know what date it is today, or how long Biwako has been gone, or how long _she_ has been gone.

Hazy, she blinks tears from her eyes. Her brain struggles to put together what has elapsed in the last few days, or weeks, or hours…but nothing coherent comes to her.

As the drops fall from the contours of her cheeks, her vision hazes and her temple begins to throb with pain.

' _Ouch. What the fuck?'_

She presses her fingers to the sides of her forehead and squeezes her eyes shut.

Swaying in her place, she turns to follow after Kakashi. The man has paused at a gravestone and notices her approaching form from the corner of his eye. He turns his attention to her, his single eyebrow furrowing in concern when he sees her wobble dangerously down the hilly slope that leads to the Sarutobi's family cemetery.

"Michiko?" He calls to her, hands leaving his pockets as he strides to her. His steps are long and soon, he is gripping her elbows as she all but collapses.

"Taichou, my head. It hurts, I can't…" She continues to speak, but her words are incoherent.

Kakashi regards her cautiously. Tsunade has warned him about potential brain damage, and he can see it now. Listlessly, she slurs her words and her head lolls back until she is unconscious. This lasts for a few seconds, and she wakes up just as he hoists her up into his arms.

"…What are you doing?"

"Taking you home." He says firmly.

"Why are you carrying me?"

"You passed out." He says calmly. He has no choice but to be patient, Michiko doesn't remember passing out.

She remains silent, and her hands move to grip his shoulders. She's scared.

"I remember that Biwako is dead." She whispers, "Please put me down. I don't want to be seen like this."

Kakashi pauses, his eyes settled on the family that had appeared earlier, looking concernedly at the pair. There is something disapproving in their eyes, so he ignores them and lets Michiko on her feet.

"Can you walk?"

She takes a few steps, wobbling slightly, but not nearly as disoriented as she was earlier.

"Yes, taichou."

"Ma, that's good. Let me walk you home." His tone has resumed his casual, captain voice. It is an order. She does well not to disagree.

Kakashi can't help but wonder where Shisui is.

' _He should be here. She shouldn't be alone at this time, not like this.'_

Of course, he knows that she has her cousin and her uncle to return to, it still unsettles him that her boyfriend doesn't have the courtesy to be here. He feels bitter.

"Thank you, taichou." Her voice breaks him from his trail of thought, and he spares her a kind glance.

"It's okay…" He trails off, eyeing her, "Michiko, why do you never call me by my name?"

Alarmed, she gives him a strange, reproachful look. Her swollen eyes widen as much as they can and she scoffs, "It's just natural to call you taichou. Not calling you that feels… _disrespectful._ "

Beneath his mask, his lips quirk into an amused smile, "Really?"

"Yes, _Kakashi._ " A small laugh escapes her, "It feels weird to say your name."

"Hm." It's not much but hearing her say his name always leaves him feeling…warm. He dismisses the thought, and they lapse back into the grievous silence.

"Why did Oka-san not want to tell me?" She asks quietly, her arms crossed in front of her as they walk slowly towards the gate of the cemetery. They have to navigate carefully as people file in and out.

"He was worried that your health would suffer. Your brain has sustained some damage."

"Like... I've got brain damage?" Kakashi can hear the disbelief in her voice.

"Something like that."

She turns her head to stare him, angrily. "Don't be vague with me, please."

"I don't think I'm the best person to explain what happened to you." He responds.

"Does _anyone_ want to tell me what's happened?" She snaps, glaring at the ground as she walks a little faster. Kakashi lets her go ahead, monitoring her gait as he assesses her balance.

' _She looks okay.'_

He doesn't say anything else to her until they're approaching her neighbourhood. She veers off course and makes a beeline for the high street.

"Where are you going, Michiko?" He calls, one hand scratching the back of his head.

"Somewhere." She says vaguely. He knows she does it to annoy him, so he takes a moment to level with himself.

"I'll have to make sure you get home safely." He reminds her, following her easily.

"I'm going to Shisui's." She says again, angrily this time.

"He's not in Konoha right now." It's a lie. Kakashi has _no idea_ where Shisui is, but he'd rather be damned than let her walk to his house.

' _Not when that asshole can't come and see you himself.'_

Halting, she turns on her heel and gives Kakashi an irritated look, "Where is he?"

Kakashi shrugs.

The rapid rise and fall of her shoulders tells him that she is indeed, _very_ angry. She looks like she's on the brink of a tantrum and takes a few sharp inhale-exhales before her shoulders slack and she looks sad.

' _Why isn't Shisui-kun in Konoha?'_ For a second, she feels a pang of panic in her heart.

"Kakashi. He's not dead, is he?" Her voice cracks with sincerity. The man in question raises an eyebrow at her, perplexed for a few seconds before he realises that she'd been told Biwako was _away_ instead of dead.

Shaking his head, he realises he has no way to convince her that Shisui is alive except to say that he isn't dead.

"No Michiko, he is not dead."

She looks like she doesn't believe him and twists her hands anxiously, "Okay."

She relents and walks back to him, "I'll walk back home."

Kakashi nods and lets her past him. She stops next to him, hesitates for a moment and then shakes her head and continues on, her sandals scuffing against the ground. He stares after her, observing her gait. She looks alright, so he trails behind her as they walk back to the Sarutobi residence in silence.


End file.
